Geodetic Data Scientist
- Level
- Mid
- Work type
- On-site · London
Not stated in the posting: salary, visa.
Open. First seen 2 October 2026.
About the role
Foundational's standard text
Geodetic Data Scientist
This is a future role. We're building a shortlist now and will contact you when it opens.
About us
Foundational is building the most precise picture of Earth and orbit, using lasers fired from the ground. We call it ground truth for orbit.
We design and run low-cost, autonomous satellite laser ranging stations. They measure the distance to satellites with extreme precision, day and night. Our data platform turns those measurements into tracking data and orbit products for satellite operators, space agencies and governments. We also build our own flight-proven laser retroreflector arrays, so any satellite can be tracked.
Our station network is expanding across Europe, South America, Africa and Australia. The data supports resilient navigation, Earth observation and the safe, sustainable use of space.
We're a small, fast-moving team of engineers, scientists and operators in London. We're backed by venture investors and supported by ESA, the UK Space Agency, Innovate UK and the European Innovation Council.
Position Overview
London · Full time · On-site
You'll turn large volumes of laser ranging data into geodetic and orbit products at scale. You'll build the pipelines, models and quality checks behind them.
What you'll do
- Build processing pipelines that take ranging data from raw returns to normal points and higher-level products
- Develop statistical methods for bias detection, outlier rejection and data quality
- Analyse station and network performance, and find where it can improve
- Work with our geodesy and orbit determination team to turn research into products
- Turn analysis into clear reports, plots and customer-facing metrics
What you'll bring
- A degree in geodesy, physics, maths, data science or similar (MSc or PhD preferred)
- Strong Python and the scientific stack (NumPy, pandas, SciPy)
- Solid statistics: estimation, time series and uncertainty
- Experience with large scientific datasets
- A habit of writing production code, not just notebooks
Nice to have
- SLR or GNSS data, including the CRD format
- Cloud data pipelines
- Machine learning for anomaly detection
What We Offer
- A high-impact role with real ownership at an early-stage, venture-backed spacetech company
- EMI share options (UK employees)
- 25 Days Annual Leave + Bank Holidays
- Enhanced Parental Leave
- Cycle to work schemes
- Work alongside engineers and scientists across optics, lasers, software and astrodynamics
- Offices in central London, with snacks, tea, coffee and regular socials
We actively champion underrepresented groups and seek to bridge gaps in our workforce. If you're excited by the role but don't match every point, or you’re seeking a part time role, please apply anyway and add a note into your application. Building the best team is our priority.
What this role asks for
Particular to this role
NumPy · Pandas
Rare in Foundational's other 14 open postings.
Standard for data science / ML roles
Machine Learning · Python
Common in data science / ML postings at any company.
62% of this description is written for the role. The rest is Foundational's standard text, folded away below.
Read against Foundational's other open postings on this site.
The team: Software, Data & Astrodynamics GROWING FAST
This role is one of 6 open in Software, Data & Astrodynamics. 5 were posted in the last 30 days.
WHAT THE TEAM WORKS WITH, ACROSS ITS POSTINGS
Python (5 of 6), Docker (3 of 6), Kubernetes (3 of 6), AWS (2 of 6), Azure (2 of 6), C++ (2 of 6), CI/CD (2 of 6)
OTHER ROLES ON THIS TEAM
- Optical SSA / Image Processing Engineer posted Sep 30
- Orbit Determination Engineer / Astrodynamicist posted Sep 30
- Backend / Data Platform Engineer posted Sep 30
- DevOps / SRE posted Sep 30
- Full Stack Software Engineer posted Jan 9
From the team and dates on Foundational's own job board.
See Data Scientist salaries in London →
Similar jobs
- Data Scientist - GenAI - Consultant at Infosys Consulting - Europe
Shares 4 skills: NumPy, Pandas, Machine Learning… · same seniority · same city - Data Scientist at Coefficient
Shares 4 skills: NumPy, Pandas, Machine Learning… · same seniority · same city - Senior Data Scientist at Hometrack
Shares 4 skills: NumPy, Pandas, Machine Learning… · same city - Senior Data Scientist / ML Engineer (Forecasting) | NDA at GT
Shares 4 skills: NumPy, Pandas, Machine Learning… · same country - Data Scientist - AI and NLP at Uni Systems
Shares 4 skills: NumPy, Pandas, Machine Learning… · same seniority - Technical Sales Engineer at Foundational
Also at this company
Is this your posting and you want it taken down? Email info@careerholo.com.