Satellite Electrical Propulsion Systems Engineer

About the role

The Satellite Electrical Propulsion Systems Engineer will lead the definition, design, and verification of electric propulsion (EP) subsystems for satellite missions. This contract position supports mission concept through launch‑site and on‑orbit operations.

Key responsibilities

• Translate mission ΔV, thrust, lifetime and reliability goals into EP system requirements and maintain bidirectional traceability.
• Perform power, thermal and mass budgeting, and lead trade‑off studies for thruster performance versus system constraints.
• Design mechanical and electrical interfaces for thruster mounting, heaters, power‑processing units and propellant feed hardware.
• Develop and validate plume models, reliability predictions and contamination‑control procedures.
• Define command and telemetry interfaces, and collaborate with flight‑software teams on thrust‑profile generation and FDIR algorithms.
• Negotiate and manage Interface Control Documents (ICDs) with vendors and platform subsystems.
• Create verification plans, test matrices and oversee hardware‑in‑the‑loop and thrust‑stand testing.

Required profile

• B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering or Physics with at least 8 years of EP engineering experience on LEO/MEO platforms.
• Strong knowledge of EP thruster families, propellant storage and feed‑system design.
• Solid understanding of aerospace system‑engineering fundamentals, space environment and orbital mechanics.
• Hands‑on ability to support integration, testing and problem resolution with minimal supervision.
• Excellent written and oral communication in English; French is a plus.

Required skills

• System requirements management
• Power, thermal and mass budgeting
• Trade‑off analysis
• Mechanical and electrical design of thruster assemblies and PPUs
• Contamination control procedures
• ICD negotiation
• 1‑D/3‑D plume modeling
• Reliability prediction
• Command/telemetry interface definition and FDIR algorithm development
• Verification planning and hardware‑in‑the‑loop testing
• PLM version control, Confluence and JIRA