Satellite Mission Services Manager

Job Description:

Satellite Mission Services Manager

This role is an exciting opportunity to join our dynamic Satellite Mission Services Team and take the lead in ensuring the seamless delivery of satellite services to our customers. This exciting role involves managing critical missions, including earth observation, communications, navigation, and science/technology demonstration satellites, throughout their operational lifetime (up to 10 years). You will be the primary point of contact for customers, ensuring we meet contractual obligations and exceed expectations. The service includes a number of ground segments located in SSTL, customer and third-party facilities.  The Satellite Mission Services Manager is the primary point of contact for the customer with regards the service delivery performance and is responsible for maintaining the customer relationship by ensuring that SSTL meets its contractual service delivery obligations.

Key Tasks

Team Leadership:

• Lead and manage the team: includes all line management activities throughout the employee life cycle; recruitment, performance, development & mentoring, PDR’s, wellbeing.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, continuous improvement, and customer focus.
• Ensure there is a clear understanding of the skillsets, capability, and resourcing required to deliver the required service.
• Develop tailored Service Management Plans for each mission and ensure team members are adequately trained.
• Ensure that the team’s current and forward planning of workload is fully scoped and managed through the resource planning tool.  Proactively resolve issues such as resource limitations, potential resource clashes.
• Manage finance, project control, invoicing and monthly reporting.

Service Management:

• Oversee end-to-end satellite service delivery, ensuring alignment with customer expectations, KPIs, SLAs, and contractual obligations.
• Implement and maintain ITIL-based service management processes, including incident, problem, change, and service request management.
• Manage and enhance existing toolsets and operational procedures to improve service efficiency, security, and delivery.
• Identify and integrate new toolsets and resources to support future satellite service missions.
• Develop ITIL service desk support that provides a good experience to customers.

Out of Hours Service Provision:

• Ensure effective communication during out-of-hours operations and service calls, coordinating issue resolution with on-call staff.
• Provide updates to the customer should the service be interrupted
• Coordinate with the on-call staff the resolution of service issues.

Customer Relationship Management:

• Act as the primary customer contact, addressing service-related inquiries and concerns.
• Conduct regular customer reviews to assess service performance and identify improvement areas. Reports to be issued in advance of customer meetings, demonstrating performance against KPI’s, SLA’s and contractual obligations.
• Maintain strong customer relationships and serve as the escalation point for service delivery issues.

Performance Monitoring and Reporting:

• Monitor service performance against KPIs and SLAs, reporting incidents and issues to customers promptly.
• Develop and maintain service reports and dashboards to provide visibility into service health and performance trends.
• Prepare monthly performance reports for customers and the wider business, reviewed by the Satellite Services Director.
• Present service performance at the Monthly Management Review Board and communicate financial/commercial reporting.

Continuous Improvement:

• Continuously evaluate and improve service delivery processes to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
• Identify and implement best practices to drive operational excellence and refine service offerings based on customer requirements.
• Actively participate in Audits as required, using findings to further improve the service.

Stakeholder Management:

• Collaborate with internal stakeholders (projects, engineering, production, sales) to align on service delivery objectives and priorities.
• Work closely with customers to understand their needs and translate them into actionable service delivery plans.
• Work with project teams to deliver project milestones and smooth transition from project to service.
• Co-ordination of service activities with the Spacecraft Operations Manager.

Risk and Incident Management:

• Develop and maintain risk management strategies to mitigate potential service disruptions.
• Lead incident response efforts, ensuring timely resolution and minimal impact on customer operations.
• Ensure that performance deviations and system outages are dealt with in a timely and efficient manner and within the defined and agreed service levels.

Bids, Proposals & Contract Management:

• Provide technical and commercial inputs to proposals for new missions.
• Initiate, develop, and negotiate customer contracts and contract extension proposals to ensure service continuity.
• Work with Commercial and Compliance teams to ensure services comply with contractual and security obligations.
• Negotiate service levels with third party providers

Previous Experience

• Experience in service delivery management, ideally for satellite operations or within the engineering/aerospace sector.
• Experience of working with space and ground segments is beneficial.

Qualifications Knowledge & Skills

• Degree or HND/HNC in engineering or science discipline
• Strong leadership and people management skills, with the ability to motivate, collaborate, and inspire teams.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to handle day-to-day challenges effectively.
• Clear and persuasive communicator with excellent interpersonal and written skills.
• Highly organised, with expertise in project/time management and resolving conflicting priorities under pressure.
• Proficient in ITIL frameworks and service management tools/technologies.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
• Results-driven, adaptable, and able to manage multiple priorities in fast-paced environments.
• Skilled in customer engagement, anticipating needs, and managing technical relationships.
• Proven experience in resource management, budgeting, and meeting schedules.
• Proficient in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Microsoft Project.
• Detail-oriented with strong collaboration and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrates company values: accountability, teamwork, customer focus, and innovation.
• Security clearance desirable.

Location

• The role is based in our Head Office in Guildford but we support hybrid working and a range of flexible working options

This job requires an awareness of any potential compliance risks and a commitment to act with integrity, as the foundation for the Company’s success, reputation and sustainable growth.

Company:

SURREY SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY LIMITED

Employment Type:

Permanent

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Experience Level:

Professional

Job Family:

Customer Account and Service Management

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