We Work in Space: Non-Tech Jobs in Space

Are you dreaming of a job in space, but you are not a scientist or engineer? Stop dreaming! New Dutch startup “We Work in Space” has the perfect job for you! After all, the space sector needs people from all backgrounds.

Emphasis on STEM skills in space

The global space sector is one of the leading industries pushing for more STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths) education, in an attempt to fill the thousands of job positions needed now and in the near future. A lack of skilled professionals is one of the biggest bottlenecks for growth in space and of course many of these professionals are the people building the technological infrastructure that forms the basis of the new space economy.

Space is more than STEM

However, this tendency to focus on STEM topics in the space sector has a counterproductive effect, discouraging talents without a STEM background. With a strong emphasis on technology, people may incorrectly think that being a scientist or engineer is a prerequisite for a job in the space sector.

This is exactly the idea that Jules Lancee, a young Dutch pilot and biomedical specialist had when looking for jobs in the space industry. He realised that space is just like most technology-driven sectors. Yes, there is a core of scientists and engineers working on the space infrastructure, but to make this infrastructure work it needs people from all other specialisations and backgrounds.

All backgrounds are needed to make space work

First of all it needs business and management specialists to turn technology into an economy. It needs sales and marketing, communications, creative people to create marketing and awareness campaigns, finance specialists, accountants, software developers, medical specialists to support humans in space, lawyers, and policy makers. And how to transport and feed this workforce? Space needs chefs, drivers, receptionists, secretaries, and logistics specialists. The list is endless. Space is just like any other industry, yet the sector puts a lot of emphasis on STEM professionals.

We Work in Space

When looking for a job in the space sector a few years ago, Jules Lancee went to all space recruiters, only to find very few non-technology jobs. Realising that space cannot function with just STEM professionals, but that none of the existing job listings collected both STEM and non-STEM jobs, he decided to build his own space jobs database. We Work in Space was born.

In its current state the We Work in Space website is a simple-to-use database of non-tech jobs in space organisations all over the world. It lists the basic job information and a link to the original vacancy. It adds search criteria to the webpage to filter for location, job type, contract type and a few more characteristics, making it intuitive and easy to find relevant jobs.

Recruitment services for space companies

Based on the quick success of the non-tech jobs listing on the website, We Work in Space is now also offering recruitment services for space companies, of course specialising in the non-tech domain. This is a relative new offering, allowing the startup to grow further into new niches of space recruitment. With a fast growing space sector and many non-tech specialists needed to make this growth happen, this expansion is bound for success!

Unknown to many, mostly because it is irrelevant to its business, the startup is based in the Netherlands, out of European innovation capital Eindhoven!

Have a look!

Looking for a new job in space or just curious about the most recent vacancies? Have a look at the website now!

Read more

See all our articles about jobs in space and related industries here.