RF Active Equipment and Technologies Engineer

Telespazio Belgium can count on almost 40 years of experience in the field of Space Operations Service & Engineering activities.

We provide a significant contribution to the most major Space programs of the European Space Agency. Our core business is to work on the ground to build bridges into space, contributing to the success of ambitious missions.

The European Space Agency is our biggest client and we provide highly qualified employees to many sites of ESA but mainly for ESTEC in the Netherlands, and we provide a permanent contract with great benefits, a good salary, a relocation package along with genuine support to our employees.

On behalf of the European Space Agency, we will be soon looking for a highly skilled RF Active equipment and technologies engineer to work in ESTEC, in the Netherlands.

What is expected from you:

• The candidate shall support the Head of the RF Equipment and Technologies Section for the following matters:
• Contribution to the engineering work in support to ESA Projects, which includes:
• Supporting Staff in interfacing with Projects (and Studies). This includes:
• Providing expertise to support Projects (and Studies) throughout all project phases;
• Performing and documenting the work through technical notes, reports or presentations;
• Supporting the implementation of industrial project activities
• Supporting and performing “in-house” design, analysis, simulations, developments, data processing and trade-offs to support project-specific RF equipment and technology developments;
• Providing hands-on RF modelling and testing support to projects, which will require proper coordination with the corresponding Laboratory Service;
• Supporting and contributing to meetings and reviews.
• Identification, implementation, validation, and operation of the relevant section tools, which includes:
• Providing expertise related to the software, hardware and data related tools;
• Participating in the development, validation, deployment and maintenance of relevant internal software tools and databases;
• Liaising with Technical Responsible for the proper configuration of software / hardware either developed in the service itself or originating from external activities.
• Operating the tools for the purpose of supporting Projects or ESA R&D activities.
• Support to Staff in the implementation of R&D activities in the technical domain. This includes:
• Providing technical inputs to the definition of technology roadmaps and contributing to relevant reviews and meetings;
• Monitoring applicable scientific and technological trends by gathering information from relevant players, participating in Conferences, trainings, gathering state-of the-art technical inputs from literature, documenting the status and trends, andmaintaining state-of-the-art expertise;
  Providing inputs to documentation and meetings / reviews, conducting relevanttechnical analyses;
• Contribute to the definition of technical requirements and statements of work for the tasks to be performed by industry from early conceptual studies to full hardware development;
• Reviewing output from industry / academia and providing inputs to the ESA Technical Officer. This includes – when relevant – the conduction of software or of hardware tests in a Divisional laboratory, which will require proper coordination with the corresponding Laboratory Service.
• Supporting and performing “in-house” design, analysis, simulations, developments, data processing and trade-offs to support R&D activities;
• Supporting the ESA Technical representative in meeting with industry / academia;
• When required, organizing ad hoc meetings with industry / academia and reporting on their outcome to the ESA Technical representative.
• Specification, design, development, performance evaluation and characterisation of RF Active equipment, technologies, components, MMICs, RFICs and building blocks (e.g. Solid-state power amplifiers, vacuum tube amplifiers, linearisers, low noise amplifiers, complete receive chains, mixers, multipliers, detectors, Internal Calibration RF subsystems and building blocks, transmit chains, transmit/receive modules, RF frontends, beamforming networks, highly integrated RF subsystems, payload input and output RF Active sections including associated design and characterization tools) in the microwave and mm-wave range (mandatorily), sub-mmwave range (as an asset)
• Support the specification, performance evaluation and characterisation activities in the area of High Power RF phenomena i.e.n Multipaction, Corona, power handling and Passive Intermodulation.
• Study, development and implementation of new technologies, materials, manufacturing and semiconductor processes and techniques for the realization of RF Active functions.
• Design, assembly packaging and integration techniques for complex RF assemblies.
• RF modelling, design tools, measurements, performance characterisation and calibration techniques for RF equipment.
• Interface with other sections for payload, antenna, system, EMC, components, materials, processes, product & quality assurance, thermal, mechanical or structural aspects.
• Support the testing of RF active equipment and technologies both in stand-alone and in relevant environment.
• Participate to ESA Working Groups and support the organization of Workshops and Conferences.
• Support the ESA technology harmonisation and coordination in the area of RF Active Equipment and Technologies.
• Identify and report achievements on key topics for the section.

What you offer:

• MSc or PhD in Physics, Microwave, Telecommunications, Electrical or Electronics Engineering.
• Several years of experience in the development of RF Active equipment and technologies (*), preferably for space applications.
• Several years of experience in using RF design and 3D Electromagnetic tools.
• Several years of experience in Project support activities, managing suppliers and subcontractors
• Good understanding of space environment and development constraints of RF equipment and technologies for space applications.
• Familiarity with Radio Frequency Payloads and Microwave/Millimeter-wave instruments architectures and technologies
• Hands-on experience in testing and performance evaluation of RF Active equipment and technologies

What we offer:

• A competitive salary
• 30 days of paid annual leave, plus the days ESTEC is closed including public holidays (~12 days) based on a 40-hour working week;
• Hybrid working scheme (3 days in the office and 2 days remote in the Netherlands)
• Flexible working hours; you are in charge of your own agenda respecting core working hours
• Fully paid collective extensive health insurance scheme;
• A good pension scheme with no personal contribution;
• A career development (Coursera membership + training budget);
• Travel allowance;
• Extensive relocation package

Where:

You will be working within ESTEC, the European Space Agency’s offices in the Netherlands as a contractor for Telespazio Belgium. We don’t expect the employees to be on-site full time however you will still have to relocate to the Netherlands for this position.

Check out the ESTEC site here: esa.int/About_Us/ESTEC

When:

Deadline to apply: ASAP

Please note that interviews will be held either via skype, webex, other digital platforms or onsite in ESTEC

We look forward to receiving your application for this position!