EO Future Mission End-to-end System Engineer (2 posts) - European Space Agency (Noordwijk)

About this position

The summary below is published by European Space Agency on the official vacancy notice. Our own analysis — salary realism, comparable openings, career trajectory, language profile — follows further down the page.

Key responsibilities

According to the vacancy notice, the role centres on the following duties:

• Act as Study Manager for pre-Phase A and mission/architecture studies for future EO missions
• Act as Study Manager for Phase A industrial activities for missions not yet approved for implementation
• Act as Technical Officer defining, negotiating, initiating and managing Consolidation Phase activities for Scouts mission
• Define, negotiate, initiate and manage industrial activities for preparation and development of small satellites up to end of in-orbit commissioning phase
• Support definition, negotiation, initiation and management of Phase A industrial activities
• Participate in evaluation of EO small mission proposals in InCubed Earth Watch Programme Element
• Support definition, negotiation, initiation and management of industrial activities including pre-Phase A and mission/architecture studies
• Initiate and perform internal studies to assess results of industrial activities

Are you eligible?

Check these requirements from the notice before investing time in an application:

• Education: Master's degree in engineering or physics
• Experience: Six years of relevant professional experience in space mission preparation and/or development
• Key skills: Knowledge of ESA and industrial development, verification and procurement processes, Experience in preparation (Phases 0 and A) of EO missions, Knowledge of optical and/or microwave remote sensing techniques, Understanding of Earth observation user needs, Background in space engineering with systems orientation, End-to-end view of Earth Observation missions, Experience in development of end-to-end mission performance simulation for EO missions, Ability to engage and iterate with Earth observation users, Experience working collaboratively in team or project environment

Contract and working arrangements

Contract duration: 4 years, extendable to indefinite.

Working arrangements: ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands.

Hiring unit: Mission and System Studies Section, Future Missions and Instruments Division, Future Systems and Architecture Departmen….

Position details

Reference

1450782333

Last Verified

23 October 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for EO Future Mission End-to-end System Engineer (2 posts) at ESA based in Noordwijk (Other). The vacancy reference is 1450782333.

Job Requisition ID:21165

Date Posted:23 October 2026

Closing Date:13 November 2026 23:59 CET/CEST

Publication Method:Internal & External

Type of Appointment (learn more):4 years, extendable to indefinite

Directorate:Earth Observation Programmes

Location ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands

Description

Earth Observation (EO) Future Mission End-to-end System and Performance Engineer in the Mission and System Studies Section, Future Missions and Instruments Division, Future Systems 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 play a key role in shaping future Earth observation missions from their earliest stages. Working closely with colleagues across the Directorate of Earth Observation Programmes, particularly the Earth & Mission Science Division, and with Earth observation user communities such as Scientific Mission Advisory Groups, you will combine engineering, coordination and study-management responsibilities as Study Manager or Technical Officer for the preparation of future EO missions in Phase 0 and/or Phase A. You would also conduct internal technical work and provide support to your colleagues of the Future Missions and Instruments Division.

Duties

Depending on the missions and studies assigned, your responsibilities will include some or all of the following:

- acting as Study Manager for pre-Phase A and mission/architecture studies for future EO missions, including Earth Explorers, Missions of Opportunity, Copernicus and meteorological missions. You will define, negotiate, initiate and manage industrial activities and provide technical coordination to a small team of engineers; - acting as Study Manager for Phase A industrial activities for missions not yet approved for implementation, including Earth Explorers and Missions of Opportunity. You will coordinate a small team of engineers and, following mission approval, ensure an effective handover to the Project Department for implementation; - as Technical Officer, defining, negotiating, initiating and managing the Consolidation Phase activities for the Scouts mission not yet approved for implementation and, after approval, ensuring the hand-over to the Project Department for implementation; - as Technical Officer, defining, negotiating, initiating and managing industrial activities for the preparation and development, up to the end of the in-orbit commissioning phase, of small satellites under the responsibility of the Division devoted to in-orbit proof-of-concept of innovative EO techniques enabled by disruptive technologies, for example Phi-sats, including technical coordination of a small team of engineers; - supporting the definition, negotiation, initiation and management of Phase A industrial activities for missions not yet approved for implementation (e.g. Earth Explorers, Scouts, Missions of Opportunity), and, after approval, ensuring the hand-over to the Project Department for implementation; - participating in the evaluation of EO small mission proposals in the framework of the InCubed (Investing in Industrial Innovation) Earth Watch Programme Element in collaboration with EOP-S and with other directorates as appropriate; initiating and managing the resulting activities for their derisking and implementation when involving upstream (space segment) development or ensuring their handover to the team responsible for the implementation, if not managed by the Division;

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- supporting the definition, negotiation, initiation and management of 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); - initiating and performing internal studies to assess the results of industrial activities; - initiating and performing internal studies to assess the merit of new EO end-to-end mission concepts; - shaping system and end-to-end performance simulator specifications throughout the preparatory phases of EO missions. In close cooperation with the Earth & Mission Science Division and the relevant Science/Mission Advisory Groups, you will help translate user needs into mission requirements and traceable system requirements; - defining, negotiating, initiating and managing or supporting 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; - development of generic building blocks and modules for end-to-end performance simulators aiming at maximum synergy and reuse of those building blocks and modules from one E2E simulator to the next; - leading or contributing to the evaluation of industrial and scientific proposals, including those for Earth Explorers, Missions of Opportunity, Scouts and PhiSats; - leading or contributing to the preparation of scientific and technical dossiers on EO missions; - leading or contributing to the analysis of EO developments undertaken by other space agencies in Europe and worldwide, as well as commercial EO initiatives including “NewSpace”; - contributing to the specification and development of mission analysis, mission performance and system-sizing tools used in the Division.

Technical competencies

Knowledge of ESA and industrial development, verification and procurement processes

Experience in preparation (Phases 0 and A) of EO missions

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

Background in space engineering with systems orientation and end-to-end view of Earth Observation missions

Experience in the development of end-to-end mission performance simulation for EO missions

Behavioural competencies

Education and professional experience

A master’s degree in engineering or physics is required for this post, together with, in principle, six years of relevant professional experience.

Additional requirements

- You shall be able to engage and iterate with Earth observation users for the definition of mission needs and mission requirement and its translation into clear technical requirements. - You should have at least six years of relevant experience in space mission preparation and/or development, together with experience working collaboratively in a team or project environment. - Knowledge of EO spaceborne instrumentation is an asset. - Hands-on experience in satellite integration and test is an asset.

Application timeline

This vacancy was first listed on 23 October 2026, today.

The application deadline is 13 November 2026, 20 days from today. Late applications are not accepted, so submit through the official EU Careers portal well in advance.

Last verified against the EU Careers feed on 23 October 2026.

Where to learn more

For headcount, mission, and other open vacancies at ESA see the ESA institution page; for the cost of living, correction coefficient, and other postings in Noordwijk see our Noordwijk location page.

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