Fastwater Staffing places senior contract engineers with leading space and defense companies. Hard-to-fill satellite platform, payload, RF, software, mechanical, and IC design roles — filled with people who have done the work before, ready to contribute on day one.
We specialize in space and defense — the industries where a wrong hire costs a program milestone, and a right one keeps it on schedule.
Satellite platform and payload engineering, systems V&V, RF and communications, mission operations, flight software, and integration & test — for established primes and new-space programs alike.
Cleared and clearable talent for hardware, software, mechanical, avionics, and test roles on critical defense programs — with the compliance discipline defense contracting demands.
The silicon and systems that space and defense programs are built on — full life-cycle IC design, verification, and post-silicon validation talent, from prototype to production.
Not a generalist shop. We recruit exclusively within engineering, so our network — and our screening — goes deeper than a keyword match.
Contract, contract-to-hire, and direct placement — with the vetting rigor of people who actually read the resume against the job.
We work from your actual requirements — the program, the toolchain, the clearance and on-site realities — not a keyword list. If a candidate's expertise doesn't match the seat, we don't send them.
Every candidate is technically screened against the specific role, with claims verified against real project history. You see a short slate of genuine fits, not a stack of maybes.
W-2 and C2C engagements, cross-border work authorization across the US, Canada, and Europe, payroll, and compliance — handled end-to-end so your engineer starts fast and stays focused.
Cross-border defense staffing is where export-control mistakes happen — and where most staffing firms quietly bow out. It's where we've built our practice.
After years of placing engineers with U.S. and Canadian firms on ITAR- and CGP-controlled programs, navigating trade and export-control constraints is part of our daily work, not an afterthought. We know what program access actually requires on each side of the border, and we screen for it before a resume ever reaches your desk.
The result: no wasted interviews with candidates who can't hold program access, no compliance surprises at onboarding, and engineers who clear vetting the first time.
Fastwater Staffing was built on a simple thesis: the companies building spacecraft and defense systems don't need more resumes — they need the five right ones.
We've built deep relationships with senior engineering talent across the United States, Canada, and Europe, and we work with some of the most demanding names in space and defense. Our clients come back because our submittals hold up in the interview room — and our contractors come back because we place them in work worth doing.
Contract, contract-to-hire, and direct placement for the disciplines that keep satellite, defense, and autonomous-systems programs on schedule:
Fastwater Staffing is a space and defense engineering staffing agency. We place senior contract engineers — satellite systems, payload, RF, FPGA, avionics, structures, and mission analysis — with aerospace primes, new-space companies, and DoD contractors across the US, Canada, and Europe.
Yes. We regularly place engineers holding active DoD Secret, Top Secret, and TS/SCI clearances, and we verify U.S.-person status explicitly on every ITAR-controlled submittal.
Yes — export-controlled programs are our core practice. We screen for ITAR eligibility on U.S. programs and Canadian Controlled Goods Program (CGP) requirements on registered Canadian programs, and we handle cross-border US–Canada work permits end-to-end.
Contract staff augmentation (W-2 and C2C), contract-to-hire — including 6-month contract-to-permanent conversions — and direct placement. On-site, hybrid, and remote, with relocation support for on-site programs.
Tell us about the role you can't fill. We'll respond within one business day with an honest read on the market and our bench.
Looking for your next contract in space or defense? Send your resume — we'll only contact you about roles that genuinely fit.
7901 4th St N #16959
St. Petersburg, FL 33702
Send us a note and a principal of the firm — not a call center — will get back to you.
Prefer email? outreach@fastwaterstaffing.com · (888) 906-8809