Senior Telecoms Systems Engineer

Location Hybrid Didcot, UK Harwell, Didcot, Oxfordshire (onsite 2 days per week with travel to Westcott)

Team UCD

Seniority Senior

• Closing:11:59pm, 7th Jul 2026 BST

Work from home option

Life Insurance

Wellness programs

Employee Assistance Programme

Enhanced maternity and paternity leave

Sabbatical Opportunities

Salary sacrifice

Team social events

Extracurricular clubs

Cycle to work scheme

8.44 (2358)

Job Title: Senior Telecoms Systems Engineer

Please note, we may look to interview before the advert close date due to the critical nature of the role. The advert will close if a suitable candidate is found before the deadline.

The Challenge: We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Telecoms Systems Engineer to join the Ubiquitous Communication (UC) engineering department to work on exciting technologies (TN and NTN), and exercise system engineering approach to address real-world challenges faced by businesses. Our national and international activities offer the unique opportunity to work in a wide range of problem domains, market areas, diverse stakeholders ranging from research to commercial operators in the UK and abroad. From access to dedicated network development centre in Westcott to numerous other technical facilities, the team is at the forefront of exploitation of technologies that help the industrial ecosystem, and that will underpin the networks of the future.

We are looking for enthusiastic candidates who will be involved in a wide range of activities - including technical delivery on projects, technical consultancy to businesses, engagement with universities and R&D centres and working within our facilities with a wide range of professionals in other disciplines. Equally, there is the opportunity to work on satellite enabled 5G as well as 6G networks through the evolution of both satellite and terrestrial networks.

The purpose of your new team:

The UC team is at the forefront of innovation in the connectivity area with technical expertise across 5G/6G, satellite communications, future networks, IoT and terminals. The overall objective is to help bring these exciting innovations closer to market by making it more accessible and fit for purpose. To achieve this, we work alongside a wide range of stakeholders, demonstrate leadership and technical expertise in key areas.

Skills & Experience required:

PhD/MSc in Satellite Communications, Telecommunications systems or similar discipline.

Minimum of 7+ years in the satellite communications or similar domainor equivalent experience

Expert knowledge of Satellite communications Payload and/or Ground Station and/or Core Network

Knowledge of full end to end satellite communication network architecture and implementation

Experience and practical knowledge in developing solutions for end users

Proven experience in being Technical Lead on collaborative projects with external stakeholders (including and not limited to field/infrastructure deployment, software/system architecture design/implementation)

Proven experience of bid writing for framework programmes (IUK/ESA/Horizon)

Proven hands on experience with system integration (including system setup, coding, hardware)

Minimum of 5yr+ experience working on externally funded collaborative projects with external stakeholdersor equivalent experience

Good communication skills (verbal and written English)

Success factors:

You have helped a business make use of satellite technology in delivering a solution to the market

You have found a solution to a thorny technical issue delaying a project

You have won the respect of external project partners on collaborative projects

You have mastered and shared your knowledge on a new technology with the team

About us & how we work:

We strive to create a high trust, high performance and inclusive environment that enables team members to bring their whole selves to work. This helps to create the foundations of an innovation culture. Our shared values are critical to this:

We care - for our people, our partners, and our planet

We connect - and engage with people and ideas

We learn - and grow, as people and as an industry

Underpinning this is our belief in great teams. Our combined efforts will always deliver outcomes beyond that of any individual, providing we are honest through debate, experiment and reflect, and create shared resolutions in support of our purpose. Live these values, work to our principles, take ownership to deliver, and we are certain you will thrive with us.

This job description set outs the skills and experience we think are needed to be able to perform in this job. If you believe you can deliver in this role then we want to hear from you.

We offer a hybrid policy which is designed around collaboration, one 'anchor' day per week working with your direct team and another flexible day per week to be spent collaborating or working with other colleagues.

Important notice for applicants: We use tools to detect plagiarism and the use of AI or chatbots for applicant answers. If plagiarism, AI use (such as ChatGPT) or similar software are found to have been used in your application you will not be considered for this or future roles within the Satellite Applications Catapult.

At Satellite Applications Catapult, we're committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workforce. We welcome candidates from all corners of the globe, but due to legal and logistical considerations, we want to be transparent about the potential visa related challenges that could arise. Our ability to offer sponsorship will depend on the level of interest for our roles and salary level.

If you need any additional support during the application process, please do reach out and connect. We also invite you to share feedback via Applied.

Please note that we offer study support (at our discretion) and on the job training will be provided.