The Programme Can Look Fully Staffed
A project may have a complete organisation chart and still have a critical capability gap.
The warning signs tend to appear somewhere else:
- Requirements remain open for too long.
- Interfaces are discussed repeatedly without being formally closed.
- Actions accumulate between design reviews.
- Suppliers interpret requirements differently.
- Verification planning starts later than it should.
- Key technical decisions depend on one overloaded engineer.
- Project managers spend increasing amounts of time resolving technical issues rather than managing the programme.
Individually, these problems may seem manageable.
Together, they often indicate that the project is missing expertise rather than simply resources.
Adding Headcount Is Not Always the Answer
Traditional recruitment is designed around filling permanent roles.
Space programmes are different.
A specific capability may only be required for three months, six months, or during a particular programme phase.
Hiring a permanent employee can therefore be unnecessarily slow and expensive.
The opposite approach — adding a generic consultant — can create a different problem. The programme gains another person but not necessarily the expertise needed to resolve the underlying issue.
The better question is:
What capability is currently preventing the programme from moving forward?
Once that question is answered, the required specialist profile normally becomes much clearer.
Different Programme Phases Require Different Expertise
The capabilities a space programme needs change throughout its lifecycle.
Early Mission Definition
During early mission definition, the missing capability may be:
- Systems architecture and requirements engineering
- Mission analysis and feasibility assessment
- Trade-off studies and technical coordination
- Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE)
Preliminary and Critical Design Reviews
As programmes approach PDR or CDR, the need may shift towards:
- Requirements verification and traceability
- Interface management
- Product Assurance and Quality Assurance
- Technical review preparation
- Configuration management
Hardware Development and Qualification
During hardware development, entirely different expertise may become critical:
- Supplier quality and procurement support
- ECSS compliance and workmanship
- Environmental testing and qualification
- Assembly, Integration and Testing (AIT)
- Non-conformance management
Specialised Technology Challenges
Sometimes the missing expertise is highly specialised.
For a programme involving navigation, for example, the issue may require deep GNSS/PNT knowledge rather than a general electronics engineer.
And sometimes the challenge crosses several disciplines.
That is where a small, multidisciplinary team can be more effective than adding individual resources one at a time.
The Cost of Waiting Too Long
There is a tendency in engineering organisations to wait until a problem becomes large enough to justify outside help.
By then, recovery can be significantly harder.
A requirements issue discovered during early design may be resolved through a focused technical review.
The same issue discovered after detailed design or manufacturing may require extensive rework, additional verification and changes to supplier agreements.
External specialists are often most valuable before problems escalate — when they can strengthen a baseline, close interfaces, prepare verification activities or resolve technical uncertainty.
The goal should not be to replace the internal team.
It should be to give that team access to expertise it does not need permanently but cannot afford to be without at a critical point.
Start With the Problem, Not the CV
At Nord Space, we believe specialist sourcing should begin with the engineering challenge.
Before identifying candidates, we want to understand:
- What is the programme trying to achieve?
- Where is it getting stuck?
- Which programme phase are you in?
- Which interfaces, standards or technologies are involved?
- What expertise already exists within the team?
- What needs to be different three months from now?
Only then does it make sense to identify the right specialist.
Because in complex space programmes, the difference between another engineer and the right engineer can be significant.
How Nord Space Can Help
Nord Space connects space and defence organisations with experienced engineering specialists who understand the challenges of complex technical programmes.
Our areas of expertise include:
- Systems Engineering and ECSS Compliance
- Mission Assurance and PA/QA
- GNSS and Positioning, Navigation and Timing
- Technical Project and Programme Management
- ESA Proposal and Technical Documentation
- Business Development and Market Entry
Whether you need one specialist for a specific programme phase or a multidisciplinary team to tackle a complex engineering challenge, we focus on matching the expertise to the actual need.
Is your programme missing a critical capability?