RF Equipment and Technologies Engineer (Active & Passive)

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 equipment and technologies engineer (Active & Passive) 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 by contributing to the engineering, R&D, and project support activities related to both RF Active and Passive equipment, components, and technologies.

• Provide expert engineering support throughout all project phases (requirements, design, development, testing).
• Interface with ESA projects and studies to ensure proper technical alignment and documentation.
• Support and perform in-house design, simulation, analysis, data processing, and trade-offs for RF technologies and equipment.
• Coordinate and contribute to hands-on RF modelling and testing in collaboration with the Laboratory Services.
• Support and participate in technical reviews and project meetings.
• Operate, maintain, and improve section software, hardware, and data tools for internal and project use.
• Contribute to the development, validation, deployment, and documentation of internal tools and databases.
• Liaise with technical staff for proper configuration and integration of tools.
• Support the definition and review of technology roadmaps and R&D strategies.
  Monitor state-of-the-art trends in RF active and passive domains by attending conferences, gathering literature, and engaging with industry/academia.
• Provide input for documentation, meetings, and R&D reviews.
• Define technical requirements and statements of work for studies and developments to be performed by external partners.
• Review outputs from industry/academia, including coordination of testing in divisional labs.
• Support the ESA Technical Officer in meetings with stakeholders and lead ad hoc technical workshops or reviews as needed.
• Specification, design, development, and testing of passive RF equipment and components (e.g., filters, multiplexers, switches, couplers, I/O sections).
• Performance evaluation and characterisation of passive components, including effects like multipaction, corona, power handling, and PIM.
• Study and application of new materials, coatings, manufacturing methods for passive RF functions.
• Design and integration techniques for complex passive RF assemblies.
  
• Specification, design, development, and testing of active RF components and systems (e.g., LNAs, PAs, MMICs, RFICs, transmit/receive modules).
• Evaluation of high-power RF phenomena in active components.
• Development of semiconductor and manufacturing processes relevant to active RF technologies
• Integration and packaging of complex active assemblies and subsystems.
• Use of RF modelling, design tools, and calibration techniques.
• Interfacing with other ESA sections (e.g., payloads, antennas, EMC, thermal, QA).
• Support for environmental and standalone testing of RF equipment.
• Participation in ESA Working Groups, workshops, and conferences.
• Support ESA’s technology harmonisation efforts and report key achievements.
• Provide regular inputs for section activity reports and ad hoc presentations.
• Actively contribute to internal knowledge-sharing and cross-functional collaboration.

What you offer:

• MSc or PhD in Physics, Microwave, Telecommunications, Electrical or Electronics Engineering
• Several years of experience in the development of RF Passive and 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
• Several years of experience in the modelling, evaluation and verification of High Power RF phenomena i.e. Multipaction, Corona, power handling, passive intermodulation
• 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 & Passive equipment and technologies
• A non-exhaustive list of RF equipment and technologies that the candidate shall be able to cover includes both active and passive components. Active RF technologies encompass 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 front-ends, beamforming networks, highly integrated RF subsystems, and payload input/output RF active sections, including associated design and characterization. Passive RF technologies include filters, multiplexers, Butler matrices, switches, ferrite devices, combiners/dividers, couplers, and payload input/output passive sections, also including associated design and characterization tools.

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!