Senior System Engineer

We are looking for an enthusiastic new colleague to expand TNO’s Acoustic Measurement Systems department. This department is part of the Acoustics and Underwater Warfare division, in which all of TNO’s acoustic expertise comes together. The entire division consists of approximately 150 people, including people from the electro‑mechanical workshop. We aim to deliver world‑class work while maintaining a casual, informal atmosphere where your professional development is prioritised.

Our research covers a wide range of topics and application domains, ranging from acoustic measurement systems for industry and medical domains to defence applications supporting the Royal Netherlands Navy. We develop measurement systems based on sound in the broad sense of the word. Here we take the holistic view to advance beyond the state‑of‑the‑art. We work on the software, hardware and the application (how the instrument is applied and used).

We measure sound, model sound to predict how it propagates through solids, liquids and gasses, and develop advanced measurement concepts and data processing schemes to extract useful information from measurements.

The Acoustic Measurement Systems department has strong cooperation with other units within TNO. There, we can find the complementary expertise needed to support our developments, with dedicated experts in optics, opto‑mechatronics, electronics, fabrication processes, etc. We are developing innovative ultrasonic sensors and instrumentation for non‑destructive testing, integrity monitoring and composition analysis. Other major pillars of our research include opto‑acoustic sensing, semiconductor acoustic metrology, medical ultrasound applications and sonar sensor developments for industrial applications as well as for defence applications.

We strive to make a real‑world impact, i.e., create novel instruments that are produced and/or used by our customers.

You will typically be active in multiple applied research and development (R&D) projects to develop solutions for our customers in different application domains. You will use your knowledge and experience to help meet our customers’ needs. Projects vary in size and nature, from researching the potential of a theoretical concept to building equipment that works in the field to advancing instrument prototypes to commercialisation, and from small projects running several weeks to large international consortium projects running for multiple years.

Each project is unique, so expect plenty of opportunities to further develop yourself.

As a Senior Systems Engineer in the Acoustics Measurement Systems department, together with our scientists, you take end‑to‑end technical leadership for the development and realisation of advanced acoustic measurement systems. These systems range from early low‑TRL proof‑of‑principle work to proof‑of‑concept demonstrators to full client prototypes. You will work closely with project managers, lead scientists, and systems engineers, contributing to technical solutions by connecting expertise and requirements.

You are the technical anchor in complex and multidisciplinary projects and help chart the technical route of maximum likelihood of success. Together with our lead scientists, you shape the system definition, translate stakeholder needs into a robust technical baseline, and steer architecture, interfaces, verification/validation and operationalisation with a clear view on the broader system context in which the solution will be used.

Our systems are multidisciplinary by nature. Alongside deep acoustics expertise, you quickly build working knowledge in adjacent domains, such as RF electronics, opto‑acoustic concepts (light instead of…