Jobs / engineering
Satellite Communications Engineer
Dawn Aerospace · Delft
About the role
Description
We are hiring a hands-on engineer to own satellite communications as an end-to-end mission system. You will be responsible for making sure commands, telemetry, and mission data move reliably through the full communications chain: from operator interfaces, through ground infrastructure and external providers, to the spacecraft and back. You should be comfortable working across hardware, software, testing, operations, and external interfaces to make a practical system work reliably under mission conditions. The core responsibility is integration, validation, readiness, and execution of the RF signal chain.
Responsibilities
- Own the communications chain as a working system, from operator terminal through ground segment and spacecraft interfaces.
- Integrate and validate communications hardware, software, configurations, and external services so the overall system performs reliably in operations.
- Work with external partners and service providers to bring communications capabilities online, verify compatibility, and resolve issues quickly.
- Plan and run communications testing, including system bring-up, operational validation, and interference / self-compatibility testing at spacecraft level.
- Support regulatory and spectrum work by owning the in-house technical inputs for licensing and coordination activities.
- Help define operational procedures, contingencies, and tooling needed to use the communications system during flight operations.
- Collaborate closely with spacecraft, avionics, software, GNC, and mission operations engineers to solve cross-functional problems rather than staying inside a narrow RF silo.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Telecommunications, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
- Familiarity with verification, troubleshooting, EMI / EMC or interference testing, and debugging issues across subsystem boundaries.
- Practical experience with real RF communication chains, communications system integration, or ground/space communications operations.
- Experience coordinating with external vendors, service providers, or partners on technical integration work.
- Familiarity with radios, antennas, cabling, link configurations, and test equipment, with the ability to bring a communications system up and make it work reliably.
Desired Experience
- Experience planning and executing operational RF tests, including interference characterization and end-to-end signal-chain validation.
- Experience working with or managing third-party ground station networks
- Experience working in a fast-moving, multidisciplinary engineering team where individuals are expected to own outcomes rather than stay in a narrow specialty.
- Experience with satellite communications, spacecraft operations, or other mission-critical communications environments.
Key Skills
- Good engineering judgment around system behaviour, interfaces, failure modes, and test strategy.
- Ability to write clear technical documentation and communicate crisply across engineering and operations teams.
- A hands-on, high-agency mindset: you do not wait for a perfect spec, you close gaps, run things down, and make progress.
Note that the role is a permanent position that will start with a fixed-term contract of 12 months.
Diversity & Inclusion
At Dawn Aerospace, we believe that diverse teams build better solutions. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where people of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences are valued and supported to do their best work.
About Dawn Aerospace
Dawn Aerospace is a space transportation company with a purpose.
Our mission is to enable the next generation of space users by providing more sustainable and scalable ways to access and move around in space. We believe this access, in the form of a transportation network, will fundamentally change what’s possible from space. We currently focus on three areas of space transportation:
- In-space propulsion
We're a leading supplier of turnkey green propulsion systems for various classes of satellites. Our systems utilise safe, accessible propellants and we have over 170 of these propulsion units on more than 40 operational satellites already. A further 200 units are in production. - In-space servicing
Coupled with our propulsion expertise, we are ensuring that our customers' satellites are refuellable. In the coming years, Dawn will offer a refueling service to enable life extension of customer satellites. This new market is aligned with our sustainability goal to ensue a clean and safe space for everyone! - Spaceplane
We are developing the fastest and highest-flying aircraft ever to take off from a runway, combining the extreme performance of rocket propulsion with the reusability of conventional airplanes to enable high-frequency, low-cost access to sub-orbital space.
Our international teams are distributed across four locations: the Netherlands, France, New Zealand, and the USA.
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