CubeSat Systems Engineer and Test Facilities Operator

We are looking for a CubeSat Systems Engineer and Test Facilities Operator to join our customer premises at ESA – ESEC in Redu (BE).

The ESA Education Office has the objective to use space as a theme to enhance the literacy of young people in science and technology and to motivate young Europeans to pursue a space related career.

The office is based partially at the ESA-ESTEC Centre in The Netherlands, and partially at the ESA-ESEC Centre in Belgium. The position is located at ESA-ESEC (in Redu), but some missions per year to ESA-ESTEC are expected.

A part of this, is the ESA Academy’s CubeSat Support Facility (CSF), a small-scale cleanroom where university student CubeSat teams participating to the “Fly Your Satellite!” programme (the ESA educational CubeSat programme) are supported in the assembly, integration and testing of their small satellites. The facility is also used to support hands-on demonstrations for dedicated AIV/AIT training sessions as well as for the “Fly Your Satellite! Test Opportunities” programme. The facility consists of a cleanroom equipped with an electrodynamic shaker, a thermal vacuum chamber, and additional test equipment.

Within Space Applications Services the position is in the Services Department, Training & Operations Team.

The candidate will mainly report to an on-site Line Manager and to the Space Applications Services Training & Operations Team Lead.

• Location: Sint-Stevens-Woluwe (Brussels Area)

• Start date: January 2027.

Tasks and Responsibilities

In assistance to the ESA CubeSat Support Facility team, the successful candidate will provide:

Support to Phase C (design):

• Coordination of and participation in:

  • System engineering activities in support of design and verification

  • The hardware & software Preliminary and Critical Design Reviews

• Review of CubeSat design data packages, including requirements management, engineering documentation and project tracking

• Preparation of ESA technical and management documentation for project reviews, and for internal and outreach purposes

• Liaising with ESA technical and quality experts for the follow-up of the design review & consolidation, anomaly investigations and resolution of technical issues

• Project management and progress tracking in support of university teams.
  

Support to Phase D (AIV):

• Maintenance of a cleanroom laboratory, including procurement of consumables and liaising with maintenance service providers

• Support of CubeSat teams in the preparation of, and assist ESA specialists in the review of, CubeSat AIV and test documentation

• Liaising with ESA technical and quality experts for the follow-up of the functional test and flight acceptance review & consolidation, anomaly investigations and resolution of technical issues

• Assistance to the CubeSat Support Facility manager, to plan, prepare and execute functional, ambient and environmental test campaigns at the CubeSat Support Facility with university teams on CubeSat engineering and flight equipment

• Operation of specialised test equipment at the CubeSat Support Facility, including an electrodynamic shaker, thermal-vacuum chamber, vacuum oven, radio-communication equipment and measurement equipment

• Support to the operation of an EMC test facility.
  

Support to Phase E (operations):

• Coordination of and support to launch preparation activities and launch campaigns

• Operation of a ground station in support of university CubeSat operations, and in support of training activities on mission operations.
  

Support to the CubeSat-related training activities and the overall objectives of the ESA Education Office:

• In collaboration with the Training Programme, offering engineering support for the development and undertaking of CubeSat-related training weeks, including among others a spacecraft testing workshop, CubeSat concurrent design training, hands-on training using satellite models, and the execution of a CubeSat Summer School

• Support the work package coordinator in the management and delivery of the different tasks associated with the CubeSat Systems & Test engineering service provided to ESA

• Contribution to outreach initiatives, including the promotion of educational opportunities and activities carried out by the ESA Education Office.

• A Master degree in Aerospace Engineering, Space Systems Engineering or equivalent, with significant experience in space-related projects

• At least 4 years of professional experience with CubeSats (or small satellites)

• Experience in Project Management with the ability to:

  • Coordinate work contributions from several different parties

  • Establish and maintain effective working relationships with all stakeholders (ESA, the involved international partners, industry, academia and students)

• Strong interest in Educational activities in STEM domain

• Hands-on experience with space hardware and/or in Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) design and testing is a major asset.

• Ability to:

  • Synthesise, summarise and draw conclusions

  • Adhere to strict standards of confidentiality

  • Work independently and in distributed international teams

• Strength to cope with schedules and deadlines

• Excellent organisational, reporting, and communication skills

• Excellent written and spoken English.

• Working within an exceptional sector with Staff located in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands

• A professional and modern working environment with motivated Administrative Staff, Engineers, Astronaut Training Instructors and Scientists coming from all different horizons and countries with a common passion for space and their own expertise

• A full-time position with an indefinite contract of employment

• A competitive remuneration package and good working conditions

• Working from home in part can be a possibility

• An individualised training and development programmes.