Engineer, Satellite Reliability and Radiation, meo-Sphere

Engineer, Satellite Reliability and Radiation, meo Sphere

Requisition Number: 19469

Contract Type:
Permanent

Location(s):
Long Beach, CA, US;
McLean, VA, US;
Betzdorf, LU

IRIS2 is the new European Union secure satellite constellation. This project is the European Union's answer to the pressing challenges of tomorrow to provide secure connectivity services and enhanced communication capacities to the EU and its Member States as well as to governmental users, private companies and European citizens while ensuring high-speed internet broadband to cope with connectivity dead zones.

SES – together with other consortium partners and core members – has been selected by European Commission to build and to operate the IRIS2 multi-orbit satellite constellation.

As the project enters its next phase, our team is expanding to support the development of future services and products enabled by the IRIS2 system. We are now seeking skilled professionals to help shape the service provisioning landscape and ensure the successful deployment of cutting-edge satellite connectivity solutions.

As Satellite Reliability and Radiation Engineer, you will analyse and assess the long‑term performance and robustness of communication payloads operating in the challenging space environment. This role focuses on analysing and mitigating reliability risks across the payload lifecycle, from design and component selection to integration and qualification. A key aspect involves assessing radiation effects such as Total Ionizing Dose (TID), Single Event Effects (SEE), and displacement damage, and implementing strategies like shielding optimisation and radiation‑hardened component selection to guarantee mission success.

Beyond ground‑based analysis and testing, this position offers the unique opportunity to validate reliability and radiation performance through in‑orbit testing campaigns. The engineer will collaborate closely with system, RF, and payload teams to integrate reliability and radiation considerations into the overall design.

In your first twelve months, you and the teams will have selected and radiation‑tested multiple electronic components as well as performed radiation and reliability analysis of state‑of‑the‑art space communication payloads. Within two years, the system will have flown in space, demonstrating its ability to survive the space environment.

As a member of an agile project organization, you will be expected to bring a flexible way of working and an adaptive mindset to a dynamic development environment.

Responsibilities:

• System Reliability Analysis: Perform reliability predictions and assessments for satellite subsystems and components.
• Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA): Identify potential failure modes and their impact on mission success.
• Redundancy Planning: Design and validate redundancy strategies for critical systems.
• Reliability Modelling: Use statistical models and tools (e.g., MIL-HDBK-217, FIDES) to estimate component and system reliability.
• Radiation Environment Analysis: Model and predict radiation exposure in different orbits (LEO, GEO, MEO).
• Radiation Effects Assessment: Evaluate TID, SEE, and displacement damage on electronic components.
• Component Selection & Screening: Choose radiation‑hardened or tolerant components and verify compliance with mission requirements.
• Shielding Design: Optimise shielding to mitigate radiation effects while balancing mass constraints.
• Radiation Testing: Plan and oversee radiation tests (gamma, proton, heavy ion) for components and materials.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in engineering or science field required.
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience.
• Understanding of reliability principles (MTBF, FMEA, reliability block diagrams) and familiarity with reliability prediction standards (e.g., MIL-HDBK-217, FIDES).
• Basic knowledge of space radiation environments (LEO, GEO, MEO) and awareness of radiation effects on electronics: TID, SEE, displacement damage.
• Strong ability to work independently and without supervision.
• Fluency in English, both written and spoken; other European languages considered an asset.

Other key requirements:

• Eligibility for ESA/EU SECRET personnel…