Location: Noordwijk, Netherlands
Application deadline: 16 January 2026
Reference number: 0413
Are you looking for a new opportunity to take your career to a higher orbit? To join an international group with a successful track record in Space Engineering? A job adapted to your career ambitions and in which you could have an impact for the years to come?
We are looking for a RF Payloads Digital Equipment Engineer to work at ESA ESTEC’s premises in Noordwijk, Netherlands.
As part of this team, you will contribute to the design, testing, and performance analysis of advanced payloads, instruments, antennas, and telemetry systems. You’ll play a key role in cutting‑edge projects, tackling challenges like wave propagation, high‑speed data transmission, and signal processing. With expertise across antennas, RF equipment, payload architecture, and wave interaction, the division supports ground‑breaking ESA missions, and you could be a vital part of this innovation!
About the client and locationThe European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) is the European Space Agency’s (ESA) base in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. As ESA’s largest test centre, it is responsible for the majority of space technology and spacecraft development through varying phases of production.
Tasks and activitiesThe scope of work will include:
- Designing and performing trade‑off analyses and system/subsystem simulations of RF digital equipment to assess end‑to‑end performance across signal, data, and digital processing chains.
- Defining architectures and designing, developing, testing, and evaluating performance of RF payload digital units, including control, data handling, and digital signal processing equipment (e.g. Regenerative and transparent processors, beamforming units).
- Providing hands‑on modelling, testing, and validation of digital equipment, including coordinating with laboratory services and executing software and hardware tests.
- Developing, operating, and maintaining technical tools, including software, hardware, and data tools used to support projects and ESA R&D activities.
- Supporting projects and industrial activities through requirements definition, Statements of Work, review of industry deliverables, and participation in technical meetings and reviews.
- Contributing to R&D activities and technology roadmaps, maintaining state‑of‑the‑art expertise in RF digital payload technologies and advanced signal and data processing techniques.
- Specifying and validating RF payload digital devices, including ASICs, FPGAs, and DSPs, in close cooperation with other ESA divisions and external partners.
The following skills and experience are mandatory:
- Master’s Degree in Telecommunications, Electronics or Computer Science Engineering.
- Several years of experience in the design and development of Digital Equipment for Radio Frequency Payloads, including usage of engineering tools.
- Very good knowledge of Digital Processing Systems, including Digital processing architectures for RF systems (including “Software Defined Radio”), main functional blocks and internal/external interfaces (including RF), together with associated technologies and components.
- Very good knowledge of Digital Processing Technologies and Input/Output Interfaces, including High‑speed data conversion (A/D and D/A) techniques and technology; digital processing devices such as DSPs, FPGAs, CPUs, Digital input/output interfaces and technologies, networks and protocols.
- In‑depth knowledge of Signal and Data Processing Algorithms and Techniques, including high‑speed digital signal processing.
- Very good knowledge of Digital System Modelling, Simulation and Programming, software development languages.
- Desire to work both autonomously and as part of a team, in an international multicultural environment.
- Solution oriented mindset, with a customer focused communication skill.
- Fluent in English, both written and spoken.
The following skills and experience would be highly desirable:
- Experience on Design and development of digital processing architectures for RF systems, and definition of key parameters and budgets in the context of different RF system application domains (e.g. RF payloads for Earth Observation, Telecom, Navigation or other relevant ones).
- Experience on Design and validation of algorithms and techniques such as modulation, digital beamforming, machine learning/artificial intelligence, forward error correction, filters, data compression and cryptography, etc.
- Experience on evaluation of algorithms and techniques figures of merit, such as implementation complexity and performance, and optimizations to fit the system constraints, such as power, latency, etc.
- Experience on Digital System Design, including ASIC/FPGA/IP Core usage and development & verification processes and languages (such as VHDL, Verilog).
- You will have the opportunity to work within leading space organisations across Europe.
- We encourage everyone to think outside the box and to push the boundaries of traditional knowledge. This role is an opportunity to join a forward‑thinking company and allows for a deeper understanding of the industry.
- To be part of a company that values integrity, inspiration, care and collaboration.
- Benefits include: competitive remuneration packages; unique career opportunities, including working in other countries; access to training and development programmes; flexible relocation support.
We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, committed to achieving diversity within the workforce and creating an inclusive working environment. We therefore welcome applications from all candidates, irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religious beliefs, age, disability or other characteristics.
As part of our commitment to providing an inclusive and barrier‑free recruitment process, we will provide reasonable adjustments and support to ensure neuro‑diverse applicants or those with a disability or long‑term condition can be their best during the recruitment process.
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