Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Flight test engineer to satellite engineer

A flight test engineer already meets 41% of what the satellite engineer role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From flight test engineer
41 % overlap
Partial match
To satellite engineer
15 You already bring
9 Still to learn
49 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Substantial retraining

64/ 100

1 How much of what a satellite engineer is expected to do is already part of a flight test engineer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the satellite engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A satellite engineer role treats 11 of its required skills as things a flight test engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • adjust engineering designs
  • aerospace engineering
  • approve engineering design
  • engineering principles
  • engineering processes
  • industrial engineering

What stands in the way is 9 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A satellite engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a flight test engineer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held aerospace engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held aerodynamics engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held industrial engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held production processes engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held conduct performance tests constructing
  • already held approve engineering design communication, collaboration and creativity

All 15 carried skills, including the 11 the satellite engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 34 missing skills fall into 12 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 4 required, 1 supplementary
  • still to learn geostationary satellites required
  • still to learn global navigation satellite system performance parameters required
  • still to learn types of satellites required
  • still to learn launching of satellites into orbit required
  • optional, not held synthetic natural environment optional
02 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 required, 4 supplementary
  • still to learn unmanned air systems required
  • optional, not held guidance, navigation and control optional
  • optional, not held fluid mechanics optional
  • optional, not held material mechanics optional
  • optional, not held model based system engineering optional
03 information skills 1 required, 4 supplementary
  • still to learn log transmitter readings required
  • optional, not held research satellite launch sites optional
  • optional, not held analyse production processes for improvement optional
  • optional, not held execute feasibility study optional
  • optional, not held oversee assembly operations optional
04 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 3 supplementary
  • still to learn troubleshoot required
  • optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
  • optional, not held design prototypes optional
  • optional, not held draft design specifications optional
05 business, administration and law 1 required
  • still to learn quality standards required
06 constructing 1 required
  • still to learn monitor satellites required

6 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a satellite engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 15 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held adjust engineering designs skill
  • already held aerospace engineering knowledge
  • already held approve engineering design skill
  • already held engineering principles knowledge
  • already held engineering processes knowledge
  • already held industrial engineering knowledge
  • already held manufacturing processes knowledge
  • already held perform scientific research skill
  • already held production processes knowledge
  • already held technical drawings knowledge
  • already held use technical drawing software skill
  • already held aerodynamics knowledge
  • already held conduct performance tests skill
  • already held mechanical engineering knowledge
  • already held record test data skill
The 6 learning areas not shown above
Skill to pick up Tier
07 management skills 5 supplementary
  • optional, not held plan space satellite missions optional
  • optional, not held apply advanced manufacturing optional
  • optional, not held control production optional
  • optional, not held develop test procedures optional
  • optional, not held manage product testing optional
08 working with computers 3 supplementary
  • optional, not held develop computer vision system optional
  • optional, not held use CAD software optional
  • optional, not held use CAM software optional
09 information and communication technologies (icts) 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held CAE software optional
  • optional, not held scientific computing optional
10 arts and humanities 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held design principles optional
11 handling and moving 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held build a product's physical model optional
12 services 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held defense system optional
25 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held defense system optional
  • optional, not held guidance, navigation and control optional
  • optional, not held plan space satellite missions optional
  • optional, not held research satellite launch sites optional
  • optional, not held synthetic natural environment optional
  • optional, not held CAE software optional
  • optional, not held analyse production processes for improvement optional
  • optional, not held apply advanced manufacturing optional
  • optional, not held build a product's physical model optional
  • optional, not held control production optional
  • optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
  • optional, not held design principles optional
  • optional, not held design prototypes optional
  • optional, not held develop computer vision system optional
  • optional, not held develop test procedures optional
  • optional, not held draft design specifications optional
  • optional, not held execute feasibility study optional
  • optional, not held fluid mechanics optional
  • optional, not held manage product testing optional
  • optional, not held material mechanics optional
  • optional, not held model based system engineering optional
  • optional, not held oversee assembly operations optional
  • optional, not held scientific computing optional
  • optional, not held use CAD software optional
  • optional, not held use CAM software optional
19 held skills the satellite engineer role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role aircraft flight control systems knowledge
  • not needed by the target role analyse test data skill
  • not needed by the target role aviation meteorology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role common aviation safety regulations knowledge
  • not needed by the target role electrical engineering knowledge
  • not needed by the target role electronics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role ensure aircraft compliance with regulation skill
  • not needed by the target role inspect aircraft manufacturing skill
  • not needed by the target role instrumentation engineering knowledge
  • not needed by the target role instrumentation equipment knowledge
  • not needed by the target role operate cockpit control panels skill
  • not needed by the target role operate radio navigation instruments skill
  • not needed by the target role operate two-way radio systems skill
  • not needed by the target role oversee aircraft sensor and recording systems skill
  • not needed by the target role perform flight manoeuvres skill
  • not needed by the target role perform routine flight operations checks skill
  • not needed by the target role perform take off and landing skill
  • not needed by the target role plan test flights skill
  • not needed by the target role visual flight rules knowledge
15 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier
  • still to learn geostationary satellites required
  • still to learn global navigation satellite system performance parameters required
  • still to learn types of satellites required
  • still to learn unmanned air systems required
  • still to learn launching of satellites into orbit required
  • still to learn quality standards required
  • optional, not held defense system optional
  • optional, not held guidance, navigation and control optional
  • optional, not held synthetic natural environment optional
  • optional, not held CAE software optional
  • optional, not held design principles optional
  • optional, not held fluid mechanics optional
  • optional, not held material mechanics optional
  • optional, not held model based system engineering optional
  • optional, not held scientific computing optional
Index

Other moves recorded from flight test engineer

Full index of moves from flight test engineer

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a flight test engineer become a satellite engineer?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A flight test engineer already covers 41% of what a satellite engineer is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 11 of which the satellite engineer role treats as required.

What skills does a flight test engineer need to become a satellite engineer?

9 required skills are missing, plus 25 optional ones. They fall into 12 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by natural sciences, mathematics and statistics. The single most important is monitor satellites.

How hard is the move from flight test engineer to satellite engineer?

Its learning distance is 64 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.