Job Specification – Senior Power System Engineer (Contract)
Location: London, UK (Hybrid)
Duration: 6 months
Start Date: January
Engagement: Outside IR35
Role Overview
A leading space engineering programme is seeking an experienced Senior Power System Engineer to support spacecraft power subsystem development on a 6-month outside IR35 contract.
The successful engineer will take technical ownership of spacecraft power systems across multiple mission phases from initial architecture definition and requirements engineering to hardware procurement, integration, testing, and operational support. This is a high-impact role suited to someone with strong spacecraft power electronics expertise and hands-on integration experience.
Key Responsibilities
System Engineering & Power Architecture
* Lead end-to-end engineering of spacecraft power subsystems, covering both high-level architecture and detailed electronics design.
* Serve as the technical point of contact for all power/avionics topics, engaging with internal teams, customers, and subcontractors.
* Perform requirements analysis, flow-up and down, and interface definition for spacecraft power systems.
* Develop and maintain power subsystem architectures and mission-aligned design documentation.
* Create and manage spacecraft power budgets, load analyses, and parametric models.
* Analyse EMC constraints and define effective mitigation strategies for power subsystems.
* Support definition and specification of power-related test equipment and ground support hardware.
* Define verification and validation strategies, test plans, and test procedures.
Integration, Test & Operations
* Support integration and testing of power subsystem hardware throughout the project lifecycle.
* Generate test and verification reports, technical dossiers, and system documentation.
* Participate in system-level integration, environmental tests, and verification campaigns.
* Provide engineering support for operational activities, including in-orbit procedures and subsystem performance monitoring.
* Contribute to internal and customer design reviews with up-to-date technical documentation.
Procurement & Supplier Management
* Prepare and support Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for power-related avionics units.
* Review supplier responses and support technical down-selection.
* Provide technical oversight of procured hardware, ensuring performance, interface, and quality compliance.
* Review power electronics aspects of spacecraft equipment across engineering disciplines.
Internal R&D & Future Product Development
* Support the development of next-generation spacecraft power architectures.
* Contribute to detailed design activities for in-house power electronics hardware.
* Assist with concept studies, trade-off analyses, and early-phase architecture modelling.
Required Experience & Skills
* Professional experience as a Power System Engineer or Power Electronics Engineer within the space or aerospace domain.
* Strong understanding of spacecraft power subsystems: power conversion, distribution, energy storage, regulation, and protection.
* Hands-on experience with spacecraft or avionics hardware integration, verification, and environmental testing.
* Strong familiarity with systems engineering processes, requirements management, and interface control.
* Knowledge of EMC constraints and mitigation techniques for space hardware.
* Experience managing suppliers and reviewing technical deliverables.
* Strong documentation skills, including test plans, DDVPs, FMEAs, and design review material.