Mechanisms Manager

At Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), our biggest strengths are our people and our shared passion for space.

With more than 40 years of pioneering small satellite innovation, SSTL has established itself as a world leader in the design, manufacture and operation of small satellites. SSTL has helped shape the global small satellite industry, and in 2026 we celebrated a significant milestone: our 80th satellite delivered and 50th launch!

Today, our innovative technologies support a diverse range of missions, including high-resolution Earth observation, satellite navigation, communications, scientific research and lunar exploration.

Based in Guildford, SSTL offers an exciting, vertically integrated engineering environment, bringing together expertise across the entire spacecraft lifecycle – from initial concepts and technology development through to design, manufacture, assembly, testing, launch and in-orbit operations.

We’re proud of our talented, collaborative engineering teams who make these ambitious missions possible.

As we continue to develop our capabilities and deliver exciting new missions, we’re looking for a Mechanisms Functional Manager to lead and develop our mechanisms engineering capability and help shape the next generation of spacecraft technology.

This opportunity could suit an experienced engineering manager or a strong Senior/Principal Engineer looking to take the next step into functional leadership.

If you have demonstrable leadership qualities, enjoy developing others and want to influence technical direction within a challenging, mission-driven engineering environment, we’d love to hear from you.

WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING

• Leading and developing a skilled mechanisms engineering team.
• Driving technical excellence, engineering consistency and best practice.
• Supporting the delivery of spacecraft mechanisms and electro-mechanical systems across multiple missions.
• Working closely with Mechanisms Experts, wider mechanical engineering functions and engineering teams.
• Providing oversight of work packages, technical quality, risk, cost and schedule performance.
• Supporting future technology development and the growth of SSTL’s mechanisms capability.
• Mentoring and developing engineers across mechanism design, analysis, integration and problem solving.
• Providing hands-on support for technical investigations and hardware debugging when required.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

We’d love to hear from engineers with experience in spacecraft engineering or other high-reliability sectors, such as aerospace, defence, robotics, automotive or advanced industrial systems.

You’ll ideally bring:

• Experience leading teams, mentoring colleagues or demonstrating strong technical leadership.
• A strong background in mechanisms, electro-mechanical systems or precision mechanical engineering.
• Knowledge of mechanism components such as actuators, bearings, transmissions and feedback devices.
• Strong technical judgement and a focus on engineering delivery.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
• A genuine passion for developing people and building strong engineering teams.
• Experience with engineering tools such as SolidWorks, Ansys, MATLAB or similar software would also be beneficial.

WHY JOIN SSTL?

We believe great engineering happens when people are trusted, supported and able to work in ways that help them thrive. Based at our Head Office in Guildford, we offer hybrid working alongside a range of flexible working options.

Our comprehensive benefits package includes:

• 32 days’ annual leave plus Bank Holidays.
• Pension Scheme with Life Assurance.
• Private Medical and International Travel Insurance.
• Annual Bonus Scheme.
• Share Incentive Plan.
• Enhanced Maternity, Paternity and Shared Parental Pay.
• High Street Discount Scheme.

Most importantly, you’ll be joining a team of passionate, talented people who genuinely love what they do and are motivated by the challenge, innovation and excitement of space engineering.

Interested in helping shape the future of space mechanisms engineering?

We’d love to hear from you!