Senior Quality & Product Assurance (QPA) Manager

Open Cosmos Ltd; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading aerospace company is seeking a Senior QPA Manager in Harwell, UK. This role involves shaping the quality assurance strategy, ensuring compliance with key standards, and driving quality across satellite missions. The ideal candidate will have a strong engineering background and demonstrate a commitment to quality in high-reliability engineering environments. This is an on-site position with occasional remote work opportunities.

Benefits

Work at the cutting edge of space technology

Diverse and supportive team

Qualifications

• Experience working with supplier quality and configuration management.
• Understanding of space systems and subsystem integration.
• Knowledge of quality KPIs to drive improvement.

Responsibilities

• Build a culture of quality and continuous improvement.
• Drive quality assurance activities across satellite missions.
• Ensure compliance with ECSS, ISO9001, and AS9100 standards.

Skills

Deep knowledge of ECSS, ISO9001, and AS9100 standards

Hands-on expertise in non-conformance management

Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills

Education

Engineering or technical background (aerospace, systems, or manufacturing)

Tools

Digital QMS/PLM tools

Job description

Aim high, go beyond!

At Open Cosmos we are solving the world’s biggest challenges from space, providing businesses, governments and researchers access to more readily available information than ever before - ready for the challenge? Then read on…

Our COO Teams are the engine that powers Open Cosmos’ operations. This division brings together mission management, supply chain, and quality & product assurance to make sure every mission is delivered smoothly, reliably, and to the highest standards. They turn plans into action, keeping us efficient and mission‑ready at all times.

Working in the QPA Team

At Open Cosmos, our Quality and Product Assurance (QPA) team is central to ensuring that everything we deliver meets the highest standards of performance, reliability, and safety. The team is dedicated to embedding quality into every stage of our work — from design and development through to production, testing, and launch — ensuring that our satellites and systems are ready to perform their mission with confidence.

What will you be doing?

As Senior QPA Manager, you’ll play a key role in shaping and executing the QPA strategy at Open Cosmos supporting the Head of QPA.

You will:

• Build a culture of quality, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Drive quality assurance activities across multiple satellite missions — from design and integration through to launch and in‑orbit operations.
• Ensure full compliance with ECSS, ISO9001, and AS9100 standards, embedding “quality by design” across all teams.
• Chair Material Review Boards (MRBs) and oversee non‑conformance management, root cause analysis, and CAPA processes.
• Partner with Engineering, AIT, and Supply Chain teams to ensure robust configuration and data traceability across hardware, software, and documentation.
• Lead supplier quality initiatives — including qualification audits, performance reviews, and process improvement programmes.
• Define and monitor quality KPIs to identify trends, measure performance, and drive improvement.
• Represent the QPA function in internal and customer reviews (PRR, TRR, QR, FRR, PSR).
• Champion digital quality tools and scalable processes that enable Open Cosmos to grow without compromising mission assurance.

What You’ll bring

• Deep knowledge of ECSS, ISO9001, and AS9100 standards within aerospace or other high‑reliability engineering environments
• Hands‑on expertise in non‑conformance management, MRBs, CAPA, and root cause analysis
• Understanding of space systems, subsystem integration, and manufacturing processes
• Experience working with supplier quality, configuration management, and digital QMS/PLM tools
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills — across engineers, leadership, and customers
• An engineering or technical background (aerospace, systems, or manufacturing preferred)

This is an on‑site position that occasionally will allow the successful candidate to work remotely from home. However, the following conditions need to be met:

• Due to the nature of this role, you will be required in the office/lab at least 2‑3 days per week, fluctuating based on business needs.
• During qualification test campaigns, you will be required in the office/lab for longer stints (e.g., 2 weeks consecutively).
• While working from home, if an emergency arises, you may be required to come to the office/lab on a short notice.

This role will be based in Harwell, UK

To apply, you must have the legal right to work in this location.

When applying, please submit your CV in English.

Why Open Cosmos?

• Work at the cutting edge of space technology with customers around the globe.
• A mission‑driven company making space accessible to help solve real‑world challenges.
• A diverse, ambitious, and supportive team.