VN 26/49 Ground Segment System Engineer (3 posts)
Confirmed on the employer's own hiring board on Oct 26, 2026. First seen by Alion on Oct 25, 2026.
VN 26/49 Ground Segment System Engineer (3 posts)
As part of our succession planning, we are looking for three Ground Segment System Engineers to join the Ground Segment Systems Engineering Competence Area (GSSE) within the Satellite System Ground Segments Division (SGS).
The successful candidates will contribute to a broad range of system and ground segment engineering activities across EUMETSAT and Copernicus programmes, projects and initiatives in which SGS is involved. Working alongside experienced engineering teams and stakeholders, they will play an active role throughout the ground segment lifecycle, from definition and design through specification and implementation to Integration, Verification and Validation (IV&V).
The roles offer an opportunity to work across technically diverse programmes and projects and to contribute directly to the development and evolution of the ground segment systems that underpin EUMETSAT’s missions.
This position supports Third Party Programmes in accordance with the respective annual memos on HR planning.
Duties
- Provision of support to the whole organisation in the area of system engineering at System and Ground Segment level;
- Support the definition, evaluation and documentation of ground segment system level architectural trade-offs, concepts and design decisions;
- Contribute to the specification and definition/consolidation of ground segment requirements and their apportionment into different elements composing a given ground segment functional chain;
- Support the definition and management of ground segment interfaces;
- Support discussions aimed at improving the approach to ground segment system engineering;
- Contribute to the technical discussions with EUMETSAT partner agencies for apportionment of system drivers and consolidation, specification/review and control of ground segment external interfaces;
- Contribute to the ground segment IV&V plans, specifications and procedures;
- Contribute to the generation of ground segment system level design documentation in support to the different system and ground segment related reviews;
- Conduct and monitor studies in the relevant ground segment system engineering areas;
- Management of industrial contracts/services in the area of responsibility;
- Develop and maintain knowledge and skills of system engineering, as well as maintain an overview of technological and industrial trends.
LOCATION
Darmstadt, Germany
QUALIFICATIONS
University Degree (or equivalent) in a relevant technical engineering discipline.
LANGUAGES
Candidates must be able to work effectively in English and have some knowledge of French.
DEADLINE
2 December 2026
Duties
- Provision of support to the whole organisation in the area of system engineering at System and Ground Segment level;
- Support the definition, evaluation and documentation of ground segment system level architectural trade-offs, concepts and design decisions;
- Contribute to the specification and definition/consolidation of ground segment requirements and their apportionment into different elements composing a given ground segment functional chain;
- Support the definition and management of ground segment interfaces;
- Support discussions aimed at improving the approach to ground segment system engineering;
- Contribute to the technical discussions with EUMETSAT partner agencies for apportionment of system drivers and consolidation, specification/review and control of ground segment external interfaces;
- Contribute to the ground segment IV&V plans, specifications and procedures;
- Contribute to the generation of ground segment system level design documentation in support to the different system and ground segment related reviews;
- Conduct and monitor studies in the relevant ground segment system engineering areas;
- Management of industrial contracts/services in the area of responsibility;
- Develop and maintain knowledge and skills of system engineering, as well as maintain an overview of technological and industrial trends.
Skills and Experience
- Background in Meteorological and/or Earth Observation systems and ground segments (both mission control and data processing and preferably with multi-programme elements/components) design and development following well established system engineering processes and design standards (e.g. ECSS, OMG) for 24/7 operational systems.
- Relevant experience in the areas of systems engineering, requirements engineering, design concepts, architecture, specification, procurement, production, implementation, deployment, operations and maintenance of large systems and ground segments and/or subsystems.
- Competence and experience in managing requirements from the definition phase through the maintenance, traceability, verification and validation stages using formal methods and tools (e.g. DOORS).
- Practical experience in using UML/SysML MBSE based tools for supporting/documenting the design of ground segment systems.
- Experience in working/leading small project teams, strong interpersonal and communications skills, and strengths in analysis, synthesis and presentation of complex problems and solutions.
Employment Conditions
The initial contract will be of 4 years’ duration, with subsequent 5 year contracts being awarded thereafter, subject to individual performance and organisation requirements. There is no limit to the amount of follow-up contracts a staff member can receive up to the EUMETSAT retirement age of 63 and there are certainly opportunities to establish a long career perspective at EUMETSAT.
This post is graded A2/A4 on the EUMETSAT salary scales. The minimum basic salary for this post is EURO 7,553 per month (net of internal tax but excluding pension contribution and insurances) which may be negotiable on the basis of skills and experience. The salary scale provides for increments on the anniversary of taking up employment, and scales are reviewed by the EUMETSAT Council with effect from 1 January each year. In addition to basic salary, EUMETSAT offers attractive benefits. Further information, including salary details, is available on the EUMETSAT web site.
EUMETSAT is committed to providing an equal opportunities work environment for men and women.
Please note that only nationals of EUMETSAT Member States may apply. The EUMETSAT Convention requires that Staff shall be recruited on the basis of their qualifications, account being taken of the international character of EUMETSAT.
About EUMETSAT
EUMETSAT is Europe’s meteorological satellite agency. Its role is to establish and operate meteorological
satellites to monitor the weather and climate from space - 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This information
is supplied to the National Meteorological Services of the organisation's Member States in
Europe, as well as other users worldwide.
EUMETSAT also operates several Copernicus missions on behalf of the European Union and provide data services to
the Copernicus marine and atmospheric services and their users.
As an intergovernmental European Organisation, EUMETSAT has 30 Member States (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,
Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy,
Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom.)