System Engineer

We are looking for a Sentinel System Engineer on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA) for their location in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. Please note, the successful candidate will be employed by ATG Europe (or one of its subsidiaries). Furthermore, upon selection, they will be subject to a general security screening performed by an external provider (further information will be provided at the interview stage). ATG is dedicated to diversity and inclusion and is an equal opportunity employer. Regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, or any other reason protected by relevant state or municipal legislation, we are pleased to consider all eligible candidates for employment. The successful candidate will be tasked with, but not limited to:

• Coordinate the internal & external support to PLS (ESA Space Segment Development Team, TEC experts, Mission Analysis & System Support, Industry);
• Coordinate with the ESA Space Segment Development Team (where relevant) to exchange technical status on the flying- and non-flying satellite(s), identifying coordination issues of relevance and following them to conclusion;
• Support PLS at the regular (weekly) Operations Boards;
• Support the Operations Team(s) by providing or facilitating responses to technical support requests from either the Flight Operations Segment (FOS) or Payload Data Ground Segment (PDGS);
• Maintain & distribute the PLS On-Call lists to the FOS (& other parties where relevant) in a timely manner;
• Support the Mission Manager and his/her team by providing technical advice related to issues of Satellite(s) performance;
• Support the Space Segment Development Team(s) by providing timely & pertinent feedback on any issue detected in-flight with potential impact on satellite(s) still under development;
• Provide specific technical expertise to support Performance Monitoring, Analysis & Optimisation tasks and Anomaly Investigations, with overall aim to improve mission quality and/or lifetime;
• Preparation of Technical Documentation, such as Reports, Technical Notes and other requested documentation;
• Review and synthesis of Technical Reports and documents produced by Industry, and extraction of relevant technical information for use in generation of PLS Performance metrics and reports;
• Organise and support the 6-monthly Satellite In-Orbit Performance (SIOP) Technical Meetings in cooperation with the Industrial Prime contractor, including associated follow-up activities (eg. administration, actions follow up etc);
• Respond to Anomaly Warnings received from the Flight Operations Segment (FOS) in an appropriate & timely manner, providing support and facilitating the necessary follow-on actions;
• Support and lead complex investigations that arise as a result of satellite performance and anomalies, ensuring adequate coordination with involved partners (Mission Management, Operations Team(s), Industry, Space Segment Development Team(s), Management);
• Prepare, coordinate & follow-up on engineering requests for the Industrial contractors in support of Anomaly Investigations and other technical analyses;
• Support satellite configuration control including the Configuration Control Board (CCB);
• Support Satellite Decommissioning & Disposal activities as required;
• Monitor, track and report the status of activities performed by the Industrial contractors in support of the PLS function (technical, commercial and schedule status);
• Review commercial payment requests & the associated justifications submitted by Industry (regular milestones or as result of ad-hoc Cost Reimbursement activities);
• Bring innovation to satellite performance analysis by investigating emerging technologies that enhance the ability for early detection of performance trends and deviations;
• Maintain the relevant PLS technical records, databases & documentation in accordance with established procedures;
• Maintain a regular reporting in coordination with the Technical Officer.

• University degree in a relevant Engineering discipline;
• Minimum 10 years of experience and a significant background in one or more of the following domains: Satellite Operations, Spacecraft Development (including Project Engineering,
• Equipment/Subsystem Procurement, Assembly Integration & Test);
• Minimum 3 years’ experience working as a System Engineer or with a System Coordination function in any of the above domains;
• Good understanding of the Satellite Phase E2 Routine Operations Organisation and the typical activities performed;
• Good understanding of the factors affecting the short- and long-term performance of Satellites and their main subsystems or payloads;
• Proven experience & ability at working in an environment with multiple external interfaces;
• Good at working in a team and a proactive attitude to solving problems
• Autonomy in writing technical notes, specifications and reports in English;
• Good interpersonal skills and team spirit;
• Demonstrable multidisciplinary or system-level experience in the satellite engineering domain;
• Previous working experience in a multinational environment is desirable;
• Very good knowledge of MS Office tools;
• Fluency in English, both written and spoken;
• Candidates must be eligible to work in the EU. Please submit your application in English via the apply button below. Applications submitted in other languages will not be considered.

All done! Your application has been successfully submitted! For any additional question you might have, don’t hesitate to reach out to us through our social media channels or contact us at What do we offer? In ATG Europe (or our subsidiaries) you will have the chance to work on the most interesting and technologically advanced projects in the space, big-science, and high-tech domains.