Orbital Analyst

Salary: £90,000 - 90,000 per year

Requirements:

• Relevant experience in the space industry focused on Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST), Space Situational Awareness (SSA) and/or space systems, with an understanding of Space Weather, SSA and SST modelling and analysis.
• Understanding of software development lifecycles, workflow procedures and architectures to design, develop, test and validate bespoke SSA tools for internal and external projects.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with the ability to articulate technical detail clearly and concisely to colleagues, customers and partner organisations at all levels.
• Ability to prepare detailed reports and present where necessary.
• Ability to work effectively and with initiative both independently and as part of a collaborative and adaptable team.
• Broad understanding and experience in data analysis and analytical software utilisation.
• Experience in the development of automated scripts and/or simple software products.
• Effective time management and the ability to manage multiple work streams.
• Willing and eligible to hold SC security clearance and obtain DV clearance if required.
• A bachelors degree in a relevant field such as physics, mathematics, engineering or science.
• Extensive experience in the SDA/SSA/SST space domain and expertise in collision avoidance analysis, orbit determination, fragmentation and re-entry analysis in an operational setting.
• Demonstrable technical expertise in the capability and tasking of sensors supporting operational collision avoidance, orbit determination, fragmentation and re-entry analysis across all orbital regimes.
• Experience with radar, optical and laser ranging systems.
• Technical understanding of the end-to-end chain of ground-based and space-based SST sensor development.
• Confidence in providing technical demonstrations of capabilities to internal and external parties.
• Capability to lead a team effectively and professionally to deliver results.
• Strong understanding of celestial mechanics, astrodynamics and atmospheric physics.
• Skills in one or more programming languages: Fortran, C/C++, Java, Matlab, Python, SQL or Java-script.
• Experience in the development and utilisation of SST/SSA related computer simulations.

Responsibilities:

• Work within our operational Orbital Analyst team to perform Space Situational Awareness (SSA) and Space Domain Awareness (SDA) duties supporting the safety of civil and commercial satellite operations.
• Monitor UK-licenced objects and critical spacecraft and provide timely technical analysis and outputs to support key stakeholder decision making.
• Ensure the safety of UK-licenced and critical spacecraft involved in high-interest events by monitoring, evaluating and reporting on key space events such as re-entering objects, collision avoidance activities and fragmentations.
• Develop new astrodynamics software capabilities and analytical tools in support of UK-led Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) programmes.
• Lead and provide technical expertise on customer programmes and internal research and development projects.
• Contribute to future opportunities through bid writing and the architecting of technical solutions in the SDA domain.
• Lead and coordinate the development of SDA/SSA tools and capabilities and ensure implementation of operational processes, procedures and systems.
• Define technical and security requirements, along with performance standards, to integrate new SDA sensors into the current UK network.
• Support customers and partner organisations with technical advice on the evolution of commercial and government SDA capabilities, including infrastructure, software and human assets.
• Support technical engagement with global partners and institutions on SDA matters.
• Travel occasionally across the UK to support business and customer needs.

Technologies:

• Fortran
• Support
• Java
• Matlab
• Network
• Python
• SQL
• Security

More:

We are Raytheon UK, a leader in defence and aerospace technology with around 2,000 employees and major facilities across the UK, including High Wycombe, Broughton, Livingston, Glenrothes, Harlow, Gloucester and Manchester. We work across land, sea, air, space and cyberspace, and also provide digital and training transformation solutions to commercial and military customers. For this permanent Orbital Analyst role based in High Wycombe, we offer a competitive salary, contributory pension scheme with up to 10.5% company contribution, life assurance at six times salary, 25 days holiday plus statutory public holidays, a discretionary bonus scheme, flexible benefits including health cashplan, dental and cycle to work, enhanced sick pay, enhanced family-friendly leave, a 37-hour working week with early Friday finish, paid volunteering days and flexible working opportunities depending on role requirements.

last updated 35 week of 2026