Overheid of Non-profit vacatures in Heemstede

X

EO Future Mission End-to-End System Engineer

Job Requisition ID: 19691

Date Posted: 27 November 2025

Closing Date: 4 January 2026 23:59 CET/CEST

Publication: Internal & External

Type of Appointment : 4 years, extendable to indefinite

Directorate: Earth Observation Programmes

Workplace:

Noordwijk, NL

Location

ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands

Description

Earth Observation Future Missions End-to-End System Engineer in the Mission and System Studies Section, Future Missions and Instruments Division, Future Missions and Architecture Department, Directorate of Earth Observation Programmes (D/EOP).

Reporting to the Head of the Mission and System Studies Section in the Future Missions and Instruments Division, you will be involved with the end-to-end preparation of EO future missions through appropriate engineering activities, working in close cooperation with staff within this and other D/EOP divisions, notably the Earth and Mission Science Division, and interacting with Earth observation users (e.g. Science Mission Advisory Groups). In particular, you will be appointed as Study Manager for the preparation of EO Future Mission in Phase 0 and/or Phase A.

Duties

Full or partial responsibilities will include some or all of the following duties:

• as Study Manager, defining, negotiating, initiating and managing industrial activities including pre-Phase A and mission/architecture studies for EO future missions (e.g. Earth Explorers, Missions of Opportunity, Copernicus or Meteorological missions), including the technical coordination of a small team of engineers;
• as Study Manager, defining, negotiating, initiating and managing Phase A industrial activities for missions not yet approved for implementation (e.g. Earth Explorers, Missions of Opportunity), including the technical coordination of a small team of engineers, and, after approval, ensuring the hand-over to the Project Department for implementation;
• defining, initiating, managing or supporting industrial architecture studies for EO future missions;
• initiating and performing internal studies to assess the results of industrial activities;
• initiating and performing internal studies to assess the merit of new end-to-end mission concepts;
• defining and updating system specifications throughout the preparatory phases of EO future missions, in close cooperation and direct interaction with the Earth and Mission Science Division and with the relevant Science Mission Advisory Groups, supporting the establishment of mission requirements and deriving system requirements traceable to mission requirements and user needs;
• ensuring the technical coherence of the end-to-end system design, including end-to-end mission performance, system-level budgets, system performance analyses, definition of spacecraft and payload subsystems and related data processing, as well as interfaces with the ground segment and with the launcher;
• contributing to the evaluation of industrial and scientific proposals, in particular for Earth Explorers and Missions of Opportunity;
• contributing to the preparation of scientific and technical dossiers on ESA EO missions;
• supporting Scout proposal evaluation and follow-up of activities;
• supporting InCubed proposal evaluation and follow-up of EO upstream activities;
• contributing to the analysis of EO developments undertaken by other space agencies in Europe and worldwide, as well as commercial initiatives such as under New Space;
• defining, negotiating, initiating and managing end-to-end performance simulator studies in support of the end-to-end definition of small missions;
• contributing to the specification and development of mission analysis, mission performance and system-sizing tools used in the Future Missions and Instruments Division;
• defining, negotiating, initiating and managing end-to-end performance simulator activities for EO future missions (e.g. Earth Explorers, Missions of Opportunity or Scouts), including the technical coordination of a small team of engineers and scientists.

Technical competencies

Knowledge of ESA's development, verification and procurement processes

Knowledge of optical and/or microwave remote sensing techniques and understanding of Earth observation user needs

Background in space engineering with a systems orientation and an end-to-end view of Earth observation missions

Behavioural competencies

Result Orientation

Operational Efficiency

Fostering Cooperation

Relationship Management

Continuous Improvement

Forward Thinking

Education

A master's degree or PhD in engineering or physics is required for this post.

Additional requirements

• At least six years of relevant experience in space mission preparation and/or development is required.
• Experience in the preparation (Phases 0 and A) of EO missions is required.
• Experience of working in a team or project environment is required.
• You should have good interpersonal skills and be able to work, coordinate and interact within small teams as well as autonomously.
• You should be able to coordinate and iterate with Earth Observation scientists and users for the definition of mission needs and requirements.
• You will be expected to contribute to a dynamic and creative environment in preparatory phases of EO future missions.
• Experience with the development of end-to-end performance simulator and system performance evaluation is desirable.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness

ESA is an equal opportunity employer, committed to achieving diversity within the workforce and creating an inclusive working environment. We therefore welcome applications from all qualified candidates irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, beliefs, age, disability or other characteristics. Applications from women are encouraged.

At the Agency we value diversity, and we welcome people with disabilities. Whenever possible, we seek to accommodate individuals with disabilities by providing the necessary support at the workplace. The Human Resources Department can also provide assistance during the recruitment process. If you would like to discuss this further, please contact us via email at .

In principle, recruitment will be within the advertised grade band (A2-A4). However, if the selected candidate has less than four years of relevant professional experience following the completion of the master's degree, the position may be filled at A1 level.

Applicants must be eligible to access information, technology, and hardware which is subject to European or US export control and sanctions regulations.

During the recruitment process, the Agency may request applicants to undergo selection tests. Additionally, successful candidates will need to undergo basic screening before appointment, which will be conducted by an external background screening service, in compliance with the European Space Agency's security procedures.

Note that ESA is in the process of transitioning to a Matrix setup, which could lead to organisational changes affecting this position.

The information published on ESA's careers website regarding working conditions is correct at the time of publication. It is not intended to be exhaustive and may not address all questions you would have.

Nationality and Languages

Please note that applications are only considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Canada, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia.

The working languages of the Agency are English and French. A good knowledge of one of these is required. Knowledge of another Member State language would be an asset.