{"id":145785,"url":"https://alion.io/job/sopra-steria-optical-quantum-communication-system-engineer","title":"Optical & Quantum Communication System Engineer","company":{"id":52881,"name":"Sopra Steria","domain":"soprasteria.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/soprasteria","size_band":"5000+","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"SmartRecruiters","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":75,"open_postings":386,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.992,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":28,"computed_at":"2026-11-03T05:54:40Z"}},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":null,"employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"hybrid","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"explicit","locations":["Noordwijk, Netherlands"],"countries":["NL"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":37000,"max_usd":78000,"period":"year","method":"role_country_seniority_unknown","sample_n":471},"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-03-30T09:46:06Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-03-30","last_verified_at":"2026-11-03T04:01:02Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":217,"trust":{"level":"stale","repost_count":0,"flags":["stale"],"days_open":217},"description":"HE Space is a successful international space company, specialised in providing managed services and human resources to the international space sector for over 40 years.\nWe hire space experts all over Europe across the whole spectrum of space-related activities, from engineering to science, software development, operations, marketing, finance and administration. Our employees contribute towards a wide range of groundbreaking space programmes including Galileo and Copernicus, ExoMars, LISA Pathfinder, Euclid, the Ariane and Vega launchers as well as the International Space Station.\nHE Space has joined forces with CS Group and Sopra Steria to lead the engineering and digital space market in Europe and to provide highly skilled consulting.\nWe are passionate about people and invest in you to support the development of the European space industry.\n As part of the team you will have the following responsibilities:\nDefine end-to-end quantum communication system architectures (e.g., QKD links, quantum repeater concepts, space-to-ground links).\nTranslate mission, security, and performance requirements (SKR, QBER, link budget) into subsystem specifications.\nSupport/lead design of quantum optical hardware (sources, detectors, time-tagging, synchronization, stabilization).\nOversee breadboarding, prototyping, and design-for-test/assembly (DFT/DFA).\nPlan and execute integration, verification, and validation (IV&V) activities for lab, field, and over-the-air trials (terrestrial fiber/free-space and space segments).\nDevelop test plans, procedures, and automated test scripts; analyze results and generate test reports.\nPerform optical link budgets, channel modeling (attenuation, turbulence, background noise), alignment and pointing, timing/synchronization.\nInterface with classical communication layers (key management, control plane) and security infrastructure.\nEnsure compliance with safety, EMC, environmental, and, where applicable, space qualification standards (e.g., vibration, thermal vacuum, radiation).\nContribute to FMEAs, fault trees, design reviews, and configuration management.\nAdvise internal teams and customers on technology trade-offs, roadmaps, and risks.\nPrepare design documents, ICDs, test reports, and operations manuals; present findings to technical and non-technical stakeholders.\n You will have the following qualifications and relevant experience:\nMaster’s or PhD in Physics, Electrical/Photonics Engineering, Aerospace, or related field.\n8+ years in quantum communications/QKD, photonics, or optical comms.\nExperience with space/ground segment design, AIT/AIV, and environmental qualification.\nProficiency with link budgets and channel models for fiber and/or free-space; familiarity with turbulence and background models.\nStrong technical writing and stakeholder communication; able to produce clear documentation.\nFluency in English is mandatory; knowledge of another European language is an advantage.\n This job is located in Noordwijk, the Netherlands .\nIf you think you have what it takes for this job, please send your CV (in English and in Word or PDF) by clicking on the button “Apply for this job” quoting job NL-HP-26027.\nAn exciting and dynamic international working environment awaits you!\nInclusive and committed employer, our company works every day to combat all forms of discrimination and promote a respectful working environment. That's why, committed to gender diversity and overall inclusivity, we encourage all applications and profiles.\nInclusive and committed employer, our company works every day to combat all forms of discrimination and promote a respectful working environment. That's why, committed to gender diversity and overall inclusivity, we encourage all applications and profiles. 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