EVONA
Technical Design Authority
Requirements
Strong aerothermal and thermal engineering background is required, along with proven re-entry domain experience. Candidates should be comfortable making decisions and providing technical direction.
Job Description
Job Title
Lead Aerothermal Engineer / Re-Entry Design Authority
Location
UK-based - Preference for candidates able to access the Bristol area on a hybrid basis.
Employment Type
Permanent preferred - Contractors may also be considered due to project urgency.
Overview
We are supporting well funded space company in the search for a senior engineer to take technical ownership of a critical heat shield development programme. This is a high-impact role for someone with deep aerothermal expertise and proven re-entry domain experience.
The programme is already beyond concept phase and is moving through detailed design and analysis. The successful person will pick up existing work, lead technical direction, and provide the level of authority needed to help the team move quickly and confidently.
The Role
You will act as the technical lead / design authority for heat shield development, supporting a team of engineers working on re-entry spacecraft technology. The focus is not people management, but technical leadership — setting direction, making decisions, and driving delivery across the workstream.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the aerothermal / thermal engineering activity for heat shield design and analysis
- Take ownership of an already-mature design and progress it through further detailed development
- Act as the design authority for the work, making sound technical decisions and directing engineering activity
- Provide technical tasking and guidance to a capable but relatively junior team
- Bring re-entry domain expertise into the team to strengthen decision-making and programme execution
Required Experience
- Strong aerothermal / thermal engineering background
- Proven re-entry domain experience is essential
- Good understanding of the orbital and atmospheric entry environment
- Ability to operate as a systems-level thinker rather than a narrow specialist
- Comfortable making decisions, setting direction, and operating with technical authority
Useful Additional Background
- Experience on return satellites, re-entry vehicles, or related programmes
- Background in hypersonic systems may be relevant where there is strong overlap in aerothermal analysis
Team Context
The engineer will support a team currently around eight people, expected to grow to around ten or eleven. There are no direct line management responsibilities in this role; functional leads manage the resource pool, while this position provides technical leadership across the work.
Key Points
- This is an urgent hire
- Permanent hire is preferred, but contract options may be considered
- Candidates must be UK-based (or happy to relocate to the UK) due to export control constraints
- Sponsorship and relocation support avaliable.
Skills
About EVONA
EVONA is where Space finds its people. We are the original space talent partner - a company that helped define the modern space economy. EVO: Evolve ONA: People We’re a talent partner with one focus - Space. That focus gives us the depth to advise, assess, and deliver across fast-scaling environments. Our approach is outcome-led, consistent, and built to evolve as the market does. Over the past eight years, we’ve supported 300+ companies across the space industry, including AST SpaceMobile (under contract 7 years), ICEYE (under contract 6 years), and Voyager (under contract 7 years) as they scale. Alongside delivery, we care about evolving people and building what’s next. Through our STEM initiative, we visit schools and universities to raise awareness of the many careers within the space sector. We aim to make pathways into the industry feel real, visible, and accessible for the next generation. US: +1 202-381-9944 UK: +44117 2034444