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ALTEN

Systems Architect

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Seeking an experienced System Architect to join our team in London to define and oversee the technical architecture of a major spacecraft mission within the space sector. You will shape the end‑to‑end system design, ensuring that all subsystems integrate seamlessly into a coherent, reliable, and mission‑ready spacecraft platform.

  • Location: London
  • On Site: 1-2x a month
  • Clearance: Clearable
  • Experience Level: Mid Level - Senior

Key Responsibilities:

  • Define the overall spacecraft architecture, ensuring alignment with mission objectives, constraints, and performance requirements.
  • Lead the development of system‑level concepts, including functional breakdowns, subsystem interactions, and high‑level design flows.
  • Own and maintain the technical baseline, ensuring consistency across electrical, mechanical, RF, software, thermal, and payload domains.
  • Produce and manage system specifications, architectural documentation, and interface definitions.
  • Drive trade‑off analyses, evaluating design options across performance, reliability, mass, power, and cost.
  • Support risk identification, mitigation strategies, and architectural decisions that impact mission reliability.
  • Oversee system‑level verification and validation, ensuring the architecture is fully testable and compliant.
  • Collaborate with AIT, mission operations, and engineering teams to ensure architectural consistency throughout development and testing.
  • Provide senior technical leadership, mentoring engineers and influencing long‑term architectural strategy.

Required Skills:

  • Mandatory Space industry experience — direct involvement in spacecraft architecture, satellite systems, or mission‑critical space hardware.
  • Proven experience defining system architectures for complex aerospace or space platforms.
  • Strong understanding of subsystem domains (electrical, mechanical, RF, software, thermal, payload).
  • Skilled in producing system‑level documentation, specifications, and architectural models.
  • Strong analytical skills for trade studies, risk analysis, and architectural decision‑making.
  • Ability to coordinate across multidisciplinary engineering teams and drive system‑level coherence.
  • Experience supporting system‑level verification, validation, and design reviews.

Required Qualifications:

  • A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering, or equivalent military experience.

Desirable Skills:

  • Knowledge of ECSS or similar space‑industry standards.
  • Experience with MBSE tools or model‑based architectural frameworks.
  • Familiarity with spacecraft AIT workflows and system‑level testing.
  • Understanding of mission analysis, operations concepts, and spacecraft behaviour modelling.
  • Exposure to configuration control, change management, and baseline evolution.
  • Experience contributing to long‑term architectural roadmaps or multi‑mission system strategies.

Why join us?

We bring together entrepreneurial, tech-driven people to deliver innovative solutions for leading companies.

At ALTEN, you’ll work on exciting projects, supported by ongoing learning, mentoring, and clear career development tailored to your goals.

Join a passionate team and help build tomorrow, today.

In short you get:

  • A personalised career path and a rewarding management style
  • A huge diversity of engineering projects and industries
  • Private Medical Insurance
  • Cycle & Tech Scheme
  • Employee assistance programme
  • Life insurance & Pension Scheme
  • Social atmosphere, regular gatherings & team buildings
  • Flexible way of working (role dependent)

We are proud to support the Armed Forces Covenant & actively encourage applications from members of the Armed Forces community, including veterans, reservists, service leavers, and military spouses/partners. We recognise the value of military skills and experience and are committed to ensuring that no applicant is unfairly disadvantaged during our recruitment and selection processes.

ALTEN is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace and values the strength that comes from a global mix of backgrounds and perspectives. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates, regardless of background or protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.

This role may require you to have or be willing to go through Security Clearance. As part of the onboarding process candidates will be asked to complete a Baseline Personnel Security Standard; details of the evidence required to apply may be found on the government website Gov.UK. If you are unable to meet this and any associated criteria, then your employment may be delayed, or rejected . Details of this will be discussed with you at interview.