Power Management Engineer (2 positions) - 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:

• Provide expert technical support and consultancy to ESA projects, programmes and general studies in power management and power distribution throughout all project phases
• Participate in feasibility studies, project reviews and evaluation of procurement proposals
• Identify critical development problems and assist in their resolution
• Contribute to the definition of technology development requirements and work plans for the Agency's technology programmes
• Define, initiate and manage R&D activities covering both long- and short-term needs
• Foster new application areas for multidisciplinary activities, placing emphasis on innovative concepts, cutting-edge technologies and system architectures
• Conduct laboratory activities as required
• Monitor applicable scientific and technological trends and maintain state-of-the-art expertise

Are you eligible?

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

• Education: Master's degree in electrical engineering or similar degree; PhD in a relevant domain is an asset
• Experience: In principle, 5 years of relevant professional experience
• Key skills: General background and specific experience in power management and power distribution technical domains, Hands-on hardware experience, Project support experience in a relevant domain, Spacecraft systems knowledge, Hands-on laboratory experience, Experience in preparation of procurement activities for technology development and innovation, Experience in management and monitoring of industrial activities, including participation in reviews, Experience on design of power systems at early phase stages of space missions, Experience with relevant design tools, Power system analysis, including power and energy budget assessment

Contract and working arrangements

Hiring unit: Power Management and Distribution Section, Power Systems, EMC & Space Environment Division, Electrical Department, Dire….

Position details

Reference

1287165401

Last Verified

15 September 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for Power Management Engineer (2 positions) at ESA based in Noordwijk (Other). The vacancy reference is 1287165401.

Job Requisition ID:20252

Date Posted:4 September 2026

Closing Date:18 September 2026 23:59 CET/CEST

Publication:Internal & External

Directorate:Technology, Engineering and Quality

Location

ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands

Description

Power Management Engineer in the Power Management and Distribution Section, Power Systems, EMC & Space Environment Division, Electrical Department, Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality.

The Power Management and Distribution Section provides functional support to ESA projects and carries out technological research (R&D) in the fields of power management and distribution for space applications, both primary and secondary, platform or payload. In particular, the Section covers power system design, power and energy budget assessment, power conditioning and distribution design and technology, analogue electronics for power systems, control of power systems, digital control of power systems, sensing techniques and high-voltage technology and design. Within this domain of competence, the Section is responsible for:

- defining, promoting and implementing, in line with anticipated technology trends and project needs, the Section’s contributions to ESA technology programmes and R&D activities;

coordinating, where applicable, the requirements of technology elements in the Section’s domain of competence with the overall requirements of systems being developed under the - responsibility of other D/TEC areas; - maintaining state-of-the-art expertise, through the execution of the yearly plan for Technical Assessment and related hands-on activities, by keeping roadmaps up to date and driving the periodic harmonisation exercise in the Section’s domain of expertise as well as by driving selected technology activities of specific importance for the Section or the Division and supporting the definition of European standards related to the Section’s domain of competence; - ensuring the development, maintenance and evolution of the engineering tools used by the Division in support of its duties; - coordinating the Section’s laboratory activities with the Energy Storage and Power Laboratory Section in order to optimise the support provided by the laboratory team and to ensure proper prioritisation of tasks; - participating in the early phase design of power systems for future space missions.

Duties

Reporting to the Head of Section and within the technical fields described above, your main tasks and responsibilities will include:

- providing expert technical support and consultancy to ESA projects, programmes and general studies in the field of power management and power distribution throughout all project phases; - participating in feasibility studies, project reviews and evaluation of procurement proposals; - identifying critical development problems and assisting in their resolution; - contributing to the definition of technology development requirements and work plans for the Agency’s technology programmes; - defining, initiating and managing R&D activities covering both long- and short-term needs; - fostering new application areas for multidisciplinary activities, placing emphasis on innovative concepts, cutting-edge technologies and system architectures; - laboratory activities, as required; - monitoring applicable scientific and technological trends and maintaining state-of-the-art expertise; - contributing to the dissemination of the results of the activities performed and the transfer of knowledge across the Agency.

Your duties may also include supporting other activities within your field of competence.

Technical competencies

General background and specific experience in the technical domains covered by the position

Hands-on hardware experience

Project support experience in a relevant domain

Spacecraft systems knowledge

Hands-on laboratory experience

Experience in the preparation of procurement activities for technology development and innovation (statements of work, proposal evaluation, etc)

Experience in the management and monitoring of industrial activities, including participation in reviews

Behavioural competencies

Education and professional experience

A master's degree in electrical engineering (or similar degree) is required for this post together with, in principle, 5 years of relevant professional experience.

Additional requirements

Experience on the design of power systems at early phase stages of space missions, and the use of relevant tools

Experience of power system analysis, including power and energy budget assessment

Experience of DC/DC converter design and verification

Experience of power converter control

Experience of digital control and FPGA programming

Experience in the use of GaN and SiC switches for power conversion

Experience in the use of electrical simulation tools and the modelling of power conversion circuits and systems

Knowledge of secondary power system analysis and verification

Knowledge of distribution system analysis and verification

Knowledge of power processing units (PPUs) for propulsion systems

Knowledge of power systems for smallsats

A PhD in a relevant domain will be an asset for this post.

Application timeline

This vacancy was first listed on 7 September 2026, 8 days ago.

The application deadline is 18 September 2026, 1 day 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 15 September 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.

New to EU careers? Our beginner's guide walks through entry routes, EPSO competitions, and what to prepare. For application logistics see application tips and EPSO competitions.