Maintenance Controller

About the Role

Dawn Aerospace is advancing the Mk-II Aurora, a reusable rocket-powered spaceplane meant to make space access as routine as aviation. We are seeking a Maintenance Controller to lead and enhance maintenance frameworks, procedures, and processes that ensure safe, reliable, and repeatable spaceplane operations.

This leadership position resides within the Flight Operations team, overseeing that maintenance tasks are planned, executed, documented, and controlled adhering to approved procedures, regulatory guidelines, and company standards.

You will serve at the crossroads of flight test, engineering, maintenance, quality, and certification efforts. Your responsibilities will include developing the spaceplane maintenance program, managing maintenance procedures, and authorising maintenance personnel. Ensuring maintenance staff are properly trained, accredited, and competent, you will supervise maintenance scheduling, execution, configuration control, defect handling, and airworthiness continuation.

Reporting to the Flight Operations Team Lead, this role collaborates extensively across the spaceplane program and the organization. You will coordinate ground operations during flight tests and shape maintenance strategies transitioning from flight tests to routine reusable spaceflights.

Success demands strong technical judgement, leadership, and pragmatic problem-solving skills. You will create systems and processes from the ground up, make decisive choices in dynamic settings, and lead maintenance teams and engineers clearly. You will uphold a culture of responsibility, professionalism, and ongoing improvement to keep the aircraft safe, compliant, and mission-ready.

If you prefer strictly defined structures, this position may not suit you. Instead, we want a practical, organised individual ready to take ownership in a fast-paced environment, establishing maintenance capabilities for an innovative aerospace vehicle to set standards, processes, and culture for frequent reusable spaceflight. If leading maintenance at aerospace's forefront excites you, we encourage your application.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee pre- and post-flight spaceplane activities, monitor progress, and resolve issues ensuring smooth operations with minimal disruption.
• Coordinate all ground operation activities and movements, ensuring safety, effectiveness, and efficiency.
• Act as the main contact for ground operations.
• Delegate tasks based on priorities and crew skills, ensuring compliance with checklists and providing progress updates.
• Escalate problems to flight crew when needed and propose procedural, equipment, or human factor improvements.
• Deliver on-the-job training for ground crews as required, supervise record-keeping of operations and work progress, and ensure equipment is functional and available.
• Manage all scheduled and unscheduled maintenance of the Mk-II spaceplane, including defect investigation and resolution prior to flight clearance.
• Conduct aircraft release-to-service authorisations after maintenance activities.
• Develop, implement, enforce, and oversee compliance with maintenance standards and the aircraft Maintenance Programme collaboratively with design engineers.
• Ensure the readiness of facilities, environment, and tooling required for maintenance.
• Create maintenance procedures for payloads in partnership with commercial customers.
• Produce training materials and maintain competence and authorisations of maintenance staff.
• Monitor and guarantee the quality of maintenance work performed.

Candidate Profile

• Exceptional organisational skills and meticulous attention to detail.
• Strong communicator capable of resource coordination across diverse teams.
• Knowledge and application of uncrewed aircraft maintenance standards and practices tailored to the spaceplane team.
• Practical thinker focused on process improvements while ensuring smooth daily operations.
• Experience in research & development and/or flight test environments preferred.
• Genuine interest in aerospace, flight testing, and emerging technologies highly advantageous.
• Experience with CAA Part 102 or equivalent uncrewed aircraft maintenance standards.
• Prior work engaging external stakeholders such as aerodrome owners, regulators, contractors, customers, and operators.

Diversity & Inclusion

Dawn Aerospace values diverse teams as keys to superior solutions and is committed to fostering an inclusive workplace welcoming individuals of all backgrounds and experiences.

About Dawn Aerospace

Dawn Aerospace is a mission-driven space transportation company focusing on sustainable, scalable space access solutions. Our efforts include:

• In-space propulsion systems using safe, accessible propellants with over 170 units flying on more than 40 satellites and 200 units in production.
• In-space servicing initiatives to enable satellite refueling services, promoting space sustainability and operational life extension.
• Development of a record-setting spaceplane combining rocket performance with airplane reusability to enable frequent, cost-effective sub-orbital flights.

Our international teams operate from the Netherlands, France, New Zealand, and the USA.