Systems Engineer - Small Satellite Missions

Job Description

We are looking for a Senior Systems Engineer to join our Space Missions area, specifically within the Systems Engineering team. The selected candidate will take on a central technical role in the definition and execution of space missions, acting as Technical Lead when required. This includes assuming system-level responsibility, leading the architecture and design process, ensuring technical coherence, and coordinating the work of specialized engineering teams. You will participate in all mission phases, from early definition (Phase 0/A) to final implementation and launch, ensuring proper validation at each milestone (PDR, CDR, etc.) and contributing to post-delivery support when required.

Position Tasks and Responsibilities

Main responsibilities include:

• Leading the definition and consolidation of mission requirements (MRD) and system requirements (SRD) in alignment with customer needs and mission objectives.
  

• Designing and iterating mission architectures, ensuring subsystem compatibility, scalability, and alignment with performance, cost, and risk constraints.
  

• Developing and maintaining the Concept of Operations (CONOPS) and defining operational modes (OpModes) to guide system behavior across mission phases.
  

• Performing subsystem trade-off analyses to support selection and procurement of mission-specific equipment, both commercial and custom-developed.
  

• Supporting launcher selection, including assessment of mechanical and electrical interface compatibility, volume constraints, and environmental requirements.
  

• Leading the definition and implementation of the system-level verification approach, including the creation and management of a Requirements Verification Matrix (RoD).
  

• Coordinating closely with other internal teams—Mission Analysis, Communications & Data Handling, and Mechanical—to ensure system integration and coherence.

• Supporting commercial activities through technical inputs to proposals, in collaboration with the Platform Product Owner, contributing to solution design and feasibility assessments.

Candidate qualifications and skills

We are looking for a technically solid, autonomous and collaborative engineer with the ability to lead and coordinate multi-disciplinary efforts at the system level. The ideal candidate should have:

• A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering or a related discipline.
  

• At least 5 years of relevant experience in system-level engineering for space missions, preferably in small satellite projects or within the New Space environment.
  

• Proven experience in:

  • Mission and system requirements engineering (MRD, SRD).
    

  • Mission architecture design and subsystem definition.
    

  • CONOPS and OpModes development.

  • Verification planning and management (RoD).
    

• Experience acting as Technical Lead, with a clear ability to manage technical risks, facilitate decision-making, and lead reviews (e.g., PDR, CDR).
  

• Excellent communication, documentation, and coordination skills, with the ability to work across teams and with external partners.
  

• Fluency in English (spoken and written).

• Ability to operate autonomously, while maintaining alignment with overall mission and company goals.
  

Nice to have

• Hands-on experience in nanosatellite development projects, including AIT (Assembly, Integration and Test).
  

• Familiarity with ECSS or NASA standards and processes.
  

• Experience working with launch providers, including interface documentation and campaign preparation.
  

• Involvement in proposal writing, particularly within competitive tenders or institutional frameworks (ESA, Horizon Europe, etc.).

• Knowledge of Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) or tools such as MagicDraw, Capella, SysML, or equivalent.