justbacked
← All jobs
Dawn Aerospace

IT Infrastructure & Projects Engineer

Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand

Series B · $25M · 143d ago Posted 2d ago
Have your AI draft the answers and brief you on Dawn Aerospace→

Why join Dawn Aerospace?

As orbit fills up, the hard problem shifts from reaching space to staying useful there, and Christchurch's Dawn Aerospace is building for that. If its reusable spaceplanes and refuellable propulsion work, it could become the refuelling stop for a wide share of spacecraft operators. Gaingels, Icehouse Ventures and the European Innovation Council back its $25M Series B, and 13 of 21 open roles opened in the last 30 days.

JustBacked's take, based on Dawn Aerospace's own site and its funding and hiring data.

Dawn Aerospace is entering its next phase of growth. We’re looking for an experienced IT Infrastructure & Projects Engineer to take hands-on ownership of shared IT infrastructure in Christchurch, solve complex technical problems and deliver infrastructure, security and compliance projects. 

You’ll be the trusted local IT authority in Christchurch, working closely with our Senior IT Lead in the Netherlands and colleagues across Dawn’s international locations. 

This role suits someone who takes initiative, works independently and enjoys taking a problem from initial investigation through to a practical, documented and supportable solution. 

What you’ll do 

  • Take operational ownership of Christchurch’s shared servers, network infrastructure and supporting IT services. 
  • Lead the resolution of complex incidents affecting shared services or multiple users, coordinating internal specialists, our MSP and other suppliers where needed. 
  • Identify recurring problems and implement lasting technical or process improvements. 
  • Maintain accurate infrastructure documentation, inventories, dependencies and recovery procedures. 
  • Deliver defined IT, security and compliance projects from scoping through implementation and handover. 
  • Coordinate technical work across internal teams, our New Zealand MSP and other suppliers. 
  • Maintain the technical documentation and evidence needed for security, customer and compliance requirements. 
  • Act as Dawn’s day-to-day technical contact with our New Zealand MSP, ensuring ownership is clear and issues are followed through to resolution. 
  • Support IT activities across our engineering, manufacturing and business operations. 

What you’ll bring 

  • Strong hands-on experience operating shared IT infrastructure and resolving complex technical issues. 
  • Practical Windows and Linux server administration and troubleshooting experience. 
  • Strong networking fundamentals, including DNS, DHCP, subnets, routing, firewalls and VPNs. 
  • Working knowledge of Microsoft 365, Entra ID, endpoint management, access permissions, device compliance and encryption. 
  • Experience working with MSPs or other outsourced technical partners. 
  • Experience delivering small to medium-sized technical projects. 
  • Strong technical documentation and operational record keeping. 
  • Good judgement, clear communication and the confidence to take ownership of problems through to resolution. 
  • The right to work in New Zealand and ability to meet applicable export-control requirements. 

Formal qualifications are welcome, but demonstrated technical judgement, ownership and delivery matter more. 

Useful additional experience 

Experience in any of the following would be an advantage: 

  • Engineering, manufacturing, aerospace or another technically demanding environment. 
  • Microsoft Intune, conditional access or privileged-access controls. 
  • Endpoint detection and response, vulnerability management or security monitoring. 
  • Engineering systems such as GitLab, internal wikis, product data management systems or database-backed applications. 
  • Security assessments, customer compliance requirements or audits. 
  • Infrastructure automation using PowerShell, Ansible or similar tools. 

Why Dawn? 

  • Work directly with teams designing, building and operating aerospace technology. 
  • Take meaningful ownership of IT services at a major Dawn location. 
  • Combine hands-on technical work with infrastructure and security projects. 
  • Help shape how our IT environment develops as Dawn grows. 
  • Work in an environment where practical judgement, initiative and personal accountability matter. 

Diversity & Inclusion

At Dawn Aerospace, we believe that diverse teams build better solutions. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where people of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences are valued and supported to do their best work.

About Dawn Aerospace

Dawn Aerospace is a space transportation company with a purpose.
Our mission is to enable the next generation of space users by providing more sustainable and scalable ways to access and move around in space. We believe this access, in the form of a transportation network, will fundamentally change what’s possible from space. We currently focus on three areas of space transportation:

  • In-space propulsion
    We're a leading supplier of turnkey green propulsion systems for various classes of satellites. Our systems utilise safe, accessible propellants and we have over 170 of these propulsion units on more than 40 operational satellites already. A further 200 units are in production.
  • In-space servicing
    Coupled with our propulsion expertise, we are ensuring that our customers' satellites are refuellable. In the co