Senior Electric Propulsion Engineer

Job description

ROLE HIGHLIGHTS: - Role: Senior Electric Propulsion Engineer - Department: Spacecraft Analysis, Orbit and Attitude Control - Location: Espoo, Finland - Reports to: Engineering Lead, AOCS Hardware - Working type: Hybrid - Employment is subject to applicable security screening (incl. SUPO, where required) THE MISSION OF THE SENIOR ELECTRIC PROPULSION ENGINEER You will bring your expertise in electric propulsion to shape the future of in-space mobility for ICEYE’s Earth-Observation satellite fleet. As a senior member of the AOCS Hardware team, you will play a central role in the design, integration, qualification and flight support of ICEYE’s Hall Effect Thruster (HET) propulsion systems and their supporting subsystems. You will own the engineering and maturation of propulsion peripheral systems (including FCU, feed and tank systems, PPUs, valves, cabling and associated electronics), ensuring robust performance, testability and production readiness across flight programs. Working closely across disciplines and with external partners, you will lead activities from early concept and trade-offs through qualification, production and on-orbit operations. WHO ARE WE? ICEYE delivers space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities to governments and allied nations. This includes sovereign and turnkey ISR missions leveraging ICEYE’s world-leading synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite technology, as well as access to data from the world’s largest SAR satellite constellation. These capabilities enable partners to detect and respond to critical changes anywhere on Earth with unprecedented speed and accuracy – day or night and in any weather, supported by ultra high-resolution imagery and high-frequency revisits. As a trusted partner for defense, intelligence, security, and maritime domain awareness, ICEYE’s near real-time data creates a tactical advantage for mission-critical operations. Designed for dual use, the platform also serves civil protection and commercial users for natural-catastrophe intelligence, insurance, maritime monitoring (including oil-spill detection), and finance, contributing to global security and community resilience. ICEYE is headquartered in Finland and operates globally across Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. We have more than 900 employees, united by a shared vision: improving life on Earth by becoming the global source of truth in Earth Observation. DAY TO DAY RESPONSIBILITIES: - Lead subsystem architecture, preliminary design and performance trade-offs for HET propulsion systems, considering mission, spacecraft and operational constraints. - Define requirements, interfaces and verification strategies for propulsion subsystems, ensuring seamless integration with avionics, mechanical, thermal and GNC systems. - Perform analytical modeling and simulation of HET behavior, including plasma/beam physics, plume effects, thermal interactions and spacecraft contamination considerations. - Own on-ground and in-flight characterization and validation of propulsion performance (thrust, specific impulse, efficiency, plume interactions, erosion and lifetime) across functional, environmental and lifetime test campaigns. - Design, specify and operate required ground test facilities and infrastructure, including vacuum systems, feed/power systems, diagnostics and safety controls. - Define qualification, acceptance and production-readiness criteria, driving the transition of matured subsystems into repeatable flight builds with robust test and inspection flows. - Monitor on-orbit propulsion performance, lead anomaly investigations and feed lessons learned back into design and production improvements. - Manage technical interfaces with suppliers, partners and research institutions, ensuring strong documentation and regulatory/qualification compliance. REQUIREMENTS: MUST HAVE SKILLS - MSc or PhD in Aerospace Engineering, Plasma Physics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field. - 6+ years of experience with electric propulsion systems (preferably Hall Effect Thrusters) across design, testing or operations. - Strong foundation in plasma physics, electric propulsion modeling and spacecraft system integration. - Experience designing or evaluating propulsion power systems and interfaces (including PPUs and high-voltage architectures). - Proficiency with analytical and numerical tools for plasma, thermal or fluid simulations (e.g., COMSOL, ANSYS, SPIS, MATLAB). - Hands-on experience with propulsion laboratory testing, plasma diagnostics and high-voltage instrumentation, including safe operation of vacuum and contamination-controlled environments. - Ability to work effectively across mechanical, avionics, GNC and systems disciplines, with strong communication skills. NICE TO HAVE SKILLS - Experience leading qualification or flight-certification test campaigns for propulsion subsystems. - Familiarity with high-voltage design, thermal vacuum testing, lifetime/erosion testing and spacecraft contamination control. - Proficiency in Python and Git for data analysis or tooling; C/C++ experience for collaboration with flight software teams is a plus. - Experience managing suppliers and translating R&D hardware into production-ready, flight-qualified designs and documentation. APPLICATION PROCESS - Talent Acquisition Interview - Hiring Manager Interview - Technical Interview (onsite or virtual), including a Technical Task - On-site Interview WORKING AT ICEYE At ICEYE, you’ll join a diverse and highly engaged team united by the ambition to make the impossible possible. As a global scale-up, we combine speed and ambition with the opportunity to take real ownership from day one. Your growth, wellbeing, and success are a priority, with continuous professional development, training opportunities, and a culture where collaboration is how we win. HOW WE WORK (OUR VALUES) Make the impossible possible: We set ambitious goals and stay calm under pressure. We bring grit, optimism, and ownership when things get hard, and we keep moving until we find a way. - Be curious: Go deep, ask questions, listen carefully, and think critically. Understand the “why” behind decisions. - See the big picture: Stay close to what’s happening across the company so you can make better decisions. Consider how your work affects others. - Drive effective teamwork: Create psychological safety, invite different perspectives, and build inclusive teams. There are no bad questions. - Act as one team: We win together. We match tasks to the right owner and stay agile as priorities shift. - Have fun: What we do matters—and it should be enjoyable. Celebrate progress, take pride in results, and share the wins. BENEFITS Our benefits are designed to support your health and wellbeing—at work and beyond. We keep improving them based on employee feedback, and offerings vary by location. Talent Acquisition will confirm what applies for this role and location during the process. OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION We want ICEYE to be a place where people can be themselves and do great work. Different backgrounds and perspectives make us stronger, which is why we work to create an environment where people feel included, respected, and able to speak up. Whatever your background, we want you to bring your authentic self to the table. We’re committed to fair, inclusive hiring and equal opportunity. Everyone is welcome to apply. If you need any adjustments or support during the recruitment process, tell us—we’ll do our best to help. Apply now to start your ICEYE journey, and help us continue to make the impossible possible together. Read more about ICEYE and working with us at iceye.com https://www.iceye.com