Senior Electric Propulsion Engineer
Role highlights
Senior Electric Propulsion Engineer
Location: Espoo, Finland / Warsaw, Poland
Department: AOCS Hardware
Reports to: Engineering Manager AOCS Hardware
Employment type: Permanent
Workplace model: Hybrid (3 days in the office)
Employment is subject to applicable security screening (incl. SUPO, where required)
Why this role matters
ICEYE needs a senior, hands-on Hall Effect Thruster engineer in the AOCS Hardware team to own the maturation and qualification of the propulsion subsystem around the thruster (FCU, feed system, tanks, PPU, valves, harness). The role runs from early trade-offs through ground test facilities, qualification, production handoff and on-orbit anomaly work. Success at 12 months looks like a qualified, production-ready peripheral architecture with a working test flow and suppliers handing over repeatable builds.
Who We Are
ICEYE is the world leader in sovereign intelligence from space. We deliver persistent monitoring capabilities to detect and respond to changes in any location on Earth.
ICEYE owns the world's largest and most advanced SAR (synthetic aperture radar) satellite constellation. To our customers we provide intelligence with unmatched quality, latency and revisit times, in any weather, day or night. To governments who choose to operate their own constellation we provide this proven capability as a sovereign system.
ICEYE-built constellations serve customers in defence and intelligence, environmental monitoring, insurance and emergency management. We enable fast decisions that contribute to a safer future.
Founded and headquartered in Finland, ICEYE operates globally with over 1000 employees across Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.
Your day-to-day responsibilities
Design and trade-offs: Lead design and performance trade-offs for the propulsion subsystem, and mature the supporting hardware (FCU, feed/tank systems, PPUs, valves, cabling) with clear architectures, requirements and verification paths.
Modeling and analysis: Run analytical modeling and simulation of propulsion system behavior (thermal, plume, and spacecraft interaction effects) to support design decisions.
Test and qualification: Set up and operate ground test facilities and testbeds, and plan and run functional, environmental and lifetime test campaigns, including acceptance criteria and procedures.
Production readiness and suppliers: Work with vendors, research institutions and integrators on co-development and supply chain coordination, and define production-readiness criteria, test/inspection flows and supplier handoffs.
On-orbit performance and documentation: Monitor in-flight propulsion performance, lead anomaly investigations and corrective actions, and keep test reports, technical rationale and qualification records up to date.
What we’re looking for
Must haves
Educational background in Aerospace Engineering, Plasma Physics, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
At least 6 years of experience working with electric propulsion systems, preferably Hall Effect Thrusters, in design, test, or operation.
Proven background in plasma physics, electric propulsion modeling, or space system engineering.
Experience with designing or evaluating PPUs and power interfaces for propulsion systems.
Strong analytical skills and experience using numerical tools for thermal, plasma, or fluid simulations (e.g. COMSOL, ANSYS, SPIS, MATLAB).
Hands-on experience with laboratory plasma diagnostics, test setup and electrical test equipment (oscilloscopes, power supplies, thrust stands, HV instrumentation).
Experience designing or commissioning ground test facilities, with good understanding of vacuum systems, contamination control and safe HV testing practices.
Excellent communication skills and ability to work across disciplines (mechanical, avionics, GNC, systems).
Nice to haves:
Experience with qualification, flight-certification or qualification test campaigns for propulsion subsystems.
Familiarity with high-voltage system design, thermal vacuum testing, lifetime/erosion testing and spacecraft contamination considerations.