(Senior) Engineer, Payload AIT Laboratory, meoSphere

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

meoSphere is SES’s next-generation Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellite constellation, designed to deliver secure connectivity services to government agencies, enterprises, and commercial customers. It will also provide high-speed broadband internet to eliminate global connectivity dead zones.

To accelerate development timelines, reduce costs, and ensure quality, SES is internalizing a critical segment of the satellite supply chain: the final integration of partner satellite platforms with SES’s software-defined payloads, all within a cutting-edge manufacturing and test facility.

Role description summary

The Engineer, Payload AIT Laboratory, meoSphere is responsible for the operational, metrological and fabrication readiness of the payload AIT laboratory, ensuring that test equipment, tooling, harnesses and facilities are available, calibrated and configuration-controlled for engineering model and flatsat campaigns. The role works alongside the payload AIT engineers, Manufacturing and Procurement, also provides hands-on support to assembly, integration and test activities. It is deliberately a generalist position: the successful candidate will be trained in new disciplines, including space-grade harness manufacturing, electrical or environmental testing and will work with their hands in the laboratory every day.

In your first twelve months, you will help establish the laboratory's equipment, inventory and calibration control from the ground up, and support the integration and test of a complete payload comprising all the different subsystems of a satellite payload. Within two years, hardware you have helped build, wire and test will have flown in space.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES / KEY RESULT AREAS

• Laboratory Operations & Equipment Management

• Manage a dev-lab day to day: bench allocation across concurrent campaigns, ESD-protected areas, access control, and segregation of flight-representative from non-flight hardware.

• Own the equipment and asset register — identification, location, custodian, criticality and availability.

• Manage goods-in inspection, storage, spares and consumable stock for procurement lead time.
  
  

• Calibration & Metrology

• Own the calibration programme: intervals, recall scheduling, coordination with external calibration houses, and retention of certificates traceable to national standards.

• Prevent use of out-of-calibration equipment through labelling, quarantine and register status, and maintain the associated records as verification evidence.
  
  
• Radiation testing
• Support the electrical team on the radiation testing campaigns at third party premises

• Workshop Fabrication

• Operate and maintain the laboratory's workshop area as well, including equipment, including tooling, consumables, 3D printers and CNC.

• Manufacture test fixtures, brackets, adapters, jigs, protective covers and non-flight MGSE parts from models and drawings supplied by the responsible engineer, who retains design authority.
  
  

• Harness Manufacturing & Hands-On Test Support

• Manufacture, modify and repair test and EM harnesses to controlled drawings, wire lists and BOMs, and perform continuity, insulation resistance and pin-out acceptance testing before first mate (training provided).

Qualifications Background and Experience

• Technical diploma, apprenticeship, HND/BTS or Bachelor's degree in Electronics, Mechatronics, Electromechanical or Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent demonstrable experience.
• Minimum of 2 years of relevant experience in a laboratory, workshop, integration, test or production environment.
• Practical electrical assembly and rework skills: crimping, connector assembly, soldering, cable routing and labelling. Space-grade workmanship certification (ECSS/ESA or IPC/J-STD-001) is an asset; training will be provided.
• Hands-on experience operating workshop machinery safely — CNC milling or turning, manual machining.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, wire lists, schematics and work instructions, including tolerance interpretation.
• Competence in dimensional measurement (callipers, micrometers) and sound judgement of part conformance.
• CAD/CAM literacy sufficient to prepare files for manufacture and make minor model corrections (SolidWorks) is considered an asset.
• Experience of calibration or metrology management, inventory control, or cleanroom, contamination is considered an asset.
• Disciplined approach to documentation, inventory and traceability, with a methodical, process-oriented mindset and a genuine appetite to learn new disciplines on the job.

• Fluency in English, both written and spoken, any other European language is considered as an asset.

Other key requirements / comments

• Eligibility for ESA/EU SECRET personnel security clearances is essential. Candidates must be prepared to undergo a security clearance procedure, as this position may require holding such clearance
• This is a fully onsite, hands-on role based at the payload-dev laboratory in Luxembourg
• Willingness to travel occasionally within Europe to suppliers, radiation testing premises and training providers.

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