How to hire space talent from space-adjacent industries

Skills shortages are now a defining issue across the space sector, particularly in systems engineering, electronics, RF, software, and AI. This has been going on a while; UKSA’s Space Sector Skills Survey flagged the same issues almost two years ago. But for many teams, those challenges still haven’t changed.

Recruitment difficulties are then being compounded by the competition from other sectors. Automotive, defence, robotics, and tech all offer similar engineering positions, often with higher pay and clearer career pathways. This means many space firms are struggling to attract candidates, even when the roles themselves are compelling.

The good thing is that many of the technical skills needed across mechanical, electrical and design for the space sector already exist in adjacent sectors. As a recruitment agency operating at the intersection of a few next-gen engineering and tech sectors, we see this first-hand. We understand what it takes to transition someone from, say, eVTOL or defence into a space-focused role, without compromising on capability or risking a mis-hire.

Here’s how you do that yourself.

Key talent shortages in the space sector

In 2020, around 9% of companies described skills gaps as having a major impact on their operations. By 2023 that had increased to 29%.

And despite more firms offering training, engagement with education providers, and outreach, the main areas of difficulty have remained consistent:

• Systems engineering
• Electronics and RF
• Software & AI/ML
• Spacecraft operations

Among companies that had hired in 12 months prior to the research being conducted, nearly three-quarters said their roles were either “difficult” or “very difficult” to fill. Senior roles took an average of 13 weeks to hire, and in several cases, particularly in electronics and motor controls, some roles stay open for well over a year before companies rethink their approach to hiring.

What we’re seeing on the ground

Many companies are still framing requirements more narrowly than they need to. A job spec will ask for space mission experience or satellite lifecycle exposure, when in reality the technical demands could be met by someone from robotics, UAV, eVTOL or some areas within defence systems.

We’ve had clients struggling to fill embedded systems roles for 6+ months, only to find success by looking at engineers from avionics who had the right tooling and compliance experience, with no direct space domain experience.

There’s a growing recognition that the future skill needs in space aren’t wholly domain-specific. Software, AI and ML expertise will be critical to unlocking the full potential of autonomy and automated operations in space, but as the sector has traditionally been shaped by aerospace engineering and mission architecture, we’ll need to look to other domains to plug that specific skills gap – and that’s just one example.

Which industries can space recruit from?

Many of the hardest-to-fill roles in space, like systems engineering, RF, embedded software, power electronics, are common in other industries with similar engineering challenges and regulatory/compliance pressures.

Candidates with those skills are out there, but the challenge is positioning a space sector role so it resonates with someone whose career so far has been in another field.

Here’s where space roles match up with talent from other sectors:

Transferable skills and how to find them

When we’re hiring from adjacent industries the goal is always to identify technical capability that aligns with space sector needs, even if the candidate’s never worked on say, a satellite or spacecraft.

Below is a guide to common space requirements, the transferable skills they map to, and the keywords and experience markers that can help you pinpoint suitable candidates.

When you’re running cross-sector searches the best results often come from being deliberate with search language and filtering. Build keyword lists for each skill area, then scan profiles for the indicators in this table before making an approach.

Making space an attractive prospect to talent

To make hires from outside the space industry you need to be able to show someone why making a move into this sector would be a good decision for them.

Many engineers in industries like automotive, defence, and robotics are in stable, well-paid roles and already working on complex, high-profile projects. To win their interest the opportunity has to be explained in a way that feels relevant to their world.

The Space Skills Roadmap 2030 makes a number of recommendations that are useful here, especially for ensuring roles are rewarding in the long term. These apply just as much to mid-career crossovers as they do to people entering the workforce for the first time.

One recommendation is making the route in feel clear. Senior candidates want to understand exactly how their experience applies, where you think they’d add value, how any gaps would be bridged.

Space sector pay can be lower than in other STEM industries, at least in the UK. So if you can’t match expectations on that front, the conversation has to highlight other factors like the scope of the role, the influence they’ll have on technical direction, the speed of progression, or the chance to own a programme from start to finish.

It also helps to take a skills-based approach to hiring. Rather than screening heavily for space experience, define the outcomes you need them to deliver and the leadership capabilities that will get you there. This makes it easier for them to see the relevance of their background and experience. Clear, well-structured job briefs help here.

And finally, the work itself has to carry weight. For a lot of senior candidates a major motivator is knowing they’ll be working on something significant, whether that’s building the manufacturing capability for a satellite constellation or leading an AI autonomy programme. We’ve even had candidates tell us directly that they’d take a pay cut for work that they deem to be meaningful.

Practical steps for securing talent

Once you’ve built interest, the way you run the hiring process will decide whether a candidate stays engaged. At this level, speed, clarity, credibility, and candidate experience matter just as much as the job spec.

• Map where their current skills align with your role and share this early so they can see the transition clearly.
• Be upfront about salary range, equity, and benefits before deepening the process.
• Show exactly where they’ll have influence on things like technical direction, strategy or building new capabilities.
• Present a clear onboarding plan that removes uncertainty about getting up to speed.
• Keep the interview process lean, well-briefed, provide feedback quickly, and ensure it’s free from unnecessary delays. If you do face delays, keep an open line of communication and explain the reasons.

Some of this advice might seem obvious, but we speak with hiring teams all the time who point to internal expectation misalignment and drawn-out processes as the main reasons strong candidates drop out. Getting these things nailed down can make the difference between losing a senior hire to another firm and bringing them into yours.

Closing the gap on cross-sector hires

The space sector has the projects, technology and the ambition to attract some of the best engineering and leadership talent in the world. Securing that talent means knowing where to look how to run a process that people want to be part of.

Hiring leaders from other industries works best when there’s a clear understanding of where their skills fit and how they’ll add value. That clarity helps them see the opportunity and builds confidence in making the move.

There are practical ways to make this easier. Do a deeper dive into which transferable skills are most relevant to your programmes, an audit of your current hiring process to spot points where momentum is lost, and a review of your compensation and benefits to make sure they match the expectations of senior candidates in adjacent sectors.

If you’d like support in any of these areas, from mapping transferable talent to refining your hiring approach, we can share what’s worked for other engineering-led sectors and help adapt it to your needs. Reach out to us today for more information on how you can begin drawing in talent from other next-gen engineering sectors.