MIRMIS AIT Engineer

University of Oxford - AOPP, Clarendon Laboratory

Location: Oxford

Salary: £49,119 to £58,265 per annum. Grade 8

Hours: Full Time

Contract Type: Fixed-Term/Contract

Placed On: 8th September 2025

Closes: 19th September 2025

Job Ref: 181775

Join Our Team as an Instrumentation Integration and Test Engineer!

Are you passionate about space science and instrumentation? Could you help us get our instruments ready for space? We’re looking for an experienced Instrumentation Integration and Test Engineer to join our team developing the MIRMIS instrument for the ESA CometInterceptor mission. CometInterceptor is a novel ESA F-class mission designed to chase, intercept, and study an as-yet-undiscovered comet on its first journey through the inner solar system. This mission promises to unlock new insights into the origins of water and the pristine materials that formed our solar system. We have a role available now to lead the test and validation of MIRMIS.

This post is full time and fixed term until 31 March 2026 with the possibility of a further extension subject to funding.

Your Role: As part of this mission, you will play a key role in the delivery of the MIRMIS instrument—an infrared hyper-spectral imager aiming to understand the thermal and chemical composition of the comet. You will lead the ground calibration and validation efforts, develop testing equipment and analysis software, and oversee the instrument test campaign before it is integrated into the spacecraft.

Due to the nature of testing campaigns, some work outside regular hours may be required.

What You’ll Do:

• Develop and refine test procedures to validate instrument requirements
• Lead the design and integration of test equipment
• Create analysis software to interpret test results (using Python, Matlab, or similar)
• Conduct tests, analyse data, and validate instrument performance
• Document and present test findings
• Contribute to instrument acceptance reviews and documentation

What We’re Looking For:

• Practical experience with opto-mechanical scientific instrumentation testing and validation
• Strong software skills for data analysis and presentation
• Knowledge of system engineering processes
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work well within a team
• Good time management and organizational skills
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office tools

Desirable Extras:

• Experience with infrared instrumentation (1-20 μm)
• Space instrumentation experience
• Clean-room environment work
• Experience working with international agencies like ESA, NASA, ESO, or CERN

If you’re excited about contributing to a mission that will expand our understanding of the solar system, we’d love to hear from you. Apply now and be part of this extraordinary journey.

The closing date for applications is noon UK time on Friday, 19 September 2025.

You will be required to upload a CV and Supporting Statement as part of your online application. The Supporting Statement should include a cover letter and should also clearly describe how you meet each of the selection criteria listed in the job description.

Contact Person: Recruitment Team

Closing Date & Time: 19-Sep-2025 12:00

Pay Scale: RESEARCH GRADE 8

Contact Email: recruitment@physics.ox.ac.uk