EO Missions Optical Payload and Performance Engineer

EO Future Missions Optical Payload and Performance Engineer
Job

Requisition
Date Posted: 14 October 2026
Closing Date: 4 November 2026 23:59 CET/CEST
Publication Method:
Internal & External
Type of Appointment (learn more):
Fixed-Term
Directorate:
Earth Observation Programmes
Workplace:
Noordwijk, NL
Grade Band: A2 - A4
This is a  fixed-term appointment  with an initial duration of 4 years. Depending upon performance and organisational needs, the appointment may be extended up to a possible maximum duration of 8 years.
Location   ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands
Description   Earth Observation (EO) Future Missions Optical Payload and Performance Engineer in the Optical Instruments Section, Future Missions and Instruments Division, Future Missions and Architecture Department, Directorate of Earth Observation Programmes.
Reporting to the Head of the Optical Instruments Section, you will be responsible for the end-to-end definition, engineering, technology bread boarding and pre-development of optical payload systems for future EO missions, both for research missions (e.g. Earth Explorers, Missions of Opportunity and Scout missions) and operational missions (e.g. Copernicus and meteorology missions).
The above payloads include EO multispectral imagers, imaging spectrometers and Fourier-Transform spectrometers, as well as active laser payloads for Earth surface and atmosphere sensing, covering the full wavelength range from ultraviolet to far infrared.
You will be involved in the study and pre-development of one or several of them. You will be appointed optical instrument lead for the preparation of future EO missions in Phase 0 or Phase

A.
Duties     identifying and investigating new Earth observation principles, techniques and technologies in coordination with staff in this Department, in the Science, Applications and Climate Department and the Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality, including interfacing with research and technical groups, in particular with relevant Science Mission Advisory Groups;
maintaining knowledge of relevant technology status and instrument development programmes inside and outside ESA, including developments undertaken by other space agencies in Europe and worldwide, as well as commercial initiatives such as those driven under New Space, in close collaboration with the Division’s Technology Coordination and Frequency Management Section;
defining and assessing the performance and technological readiness of new EO optical payload systems in close collaboration with the staff of the Division’s Mission and System Studies Section, taking into account mission, system and programmatic objectives and requirements;
defining, negotiating, initiating and managing industrial contracts for the study and risk-retirement of new optical payload systems, according to the agreed activity plan;
defining, negotiating, initiating and managing risk-retirement activities through technology bread boarding and pre-development of optical payload systems for future EO missions (including Earth Explorer, Copernicus, meteorology) up to their completion, coordinating instrument pre-development activities with project teams when required;
defining, negotiating, initiating and managing the development of ground-based or airborne instrument models, according to the maturity of the concepts and performance-demonstration needs;
providing expert support to the Division for the optical payload aspects of missions undergoing evaluation or preparation, including for the evaluation of mission proposals, optical payload system support for Phase 0/A and mission architecture studies, and contributing to the preparation of technical and scientific dossiers on new EO research and operational missions;
being the…