UK - Fluid Systems Engineer

Orbit Fab's mission is to create the foundational infrastructure that will fuel a bustling in-space economy, capable of sustaining permanent jobs in space. Today, satellites cannot be refuelled, which severely constrains their mobility and inhibits the development of economic activities in space.

Orbit Fab breaks the single-use paradigm, pioneering our Gas Stations in Space™ refuelling infrastructure and RAFTI™ technology to deliver propellant in space, enabling lower-cost satellite construction, increased manoeuverability, precise control, and extended lifespans. The possibilities are unprecedented, opening the doors to unimagined operational strategies and business models.

Since our establishment in 2018, we have already achieved the successful launch of three tankers to space. With offices in both the US and UK, we are working in close collaboration with partners and customers across the space industry. Orbit Fab is rapidly ramping up capabilities and requires exceptional talent to tackle important challenges. Our roles offer wide ranging opportunities to have a demonstrable impact and enable a bustling space economy.

As a Fluid Systems Engineer, you will contribute to the development of the technologies and fluid systems that enable in-orbit refuelling. This includes fluidic components, subsystems, and the wider fluid and propulsion systems supporting Orbit Fab’s refuelling missions. You will support early phase work as well as later phase development, integration, and testing through to acceptance and delivery. A strong candidate will call upon a breadth of experience developing components and subsystems in space propulsion and related fields, pursuing a hardware centric iterative approach to deliver on time and on budget.

The successful candidate will bring broad experience in fluid systems, propulsion, or a related engineering discipline, together with a practical, hardware-focused approach to iterative development. You will work closely with engineers across the company and with external customers and suppliers to deliver robust technical solutions to challenging schedules and budgets. We have described the skills, qualifications, and experience that would be valuable to the team, but you do not need to meet every criterion.

Aptitude for solving complex technical problems, combined with practical experience designing, building, and testing hardware, is more important than any specific qualification, software tool, or career path.

• Contribute to the definition and development of fluid system architectures for major UK and European in-orbit refuelling missions.
• Develop preliminary and detailed fluid system designs, supported by appropriate analysis and modelling.
• Support BD activities from an engineering perspectiveasrequired
• Manage andmaintaindevelopment schedules, systems requirements, and design budgets
• Guide systems engineering processes andfacilitatetechnical trades across the system
• Support technical reviews and technical decision-making processes and development
• Plan, specify and follow up simulations and test campaigns to verify subsystem and components performance and requirements compliance.
• Leadhands-onbuild and testing of development models of components and subsystems
• Support flight hardware AIT activities, qualification, acceptance testing, and delivery as required.
• Identify technical issues and proactively implement resolutions to mitigate schedule and cost impacts
• Identifysuppliersand overseecomponentselection
• Provide technical mentorship tomore junior team members

• Demonstrated experience developing fluid components or subsystems from requirements and concept through design, prototyping, testing, and key development milestones.
• Demonstrated collaboration with space systems engineering teams
• Experience developing verification plans and supporting or leading qualification, acceptance, or performance test campaigns.
• Deep knowledge and experience in one or more of the following areas:
• Fluid systems design and development
• Fluid components design and development
• Experience defining customer needs and crafting engineering requirements,…