Satellite Network Integration & Validation Engineer

The job responsibilities outlined in this document are not exhaustive and may evolve over time and be reviewed according to business needs.

PROGRAMME DESCRIPTION

IRIS2 is the new European Union secure satellite constellation. This project is the European Union's answer to the pressing challenges of tomorrow to provide secure connectivity services and enhanced communication capacities to the EU and its Member States. In addition, as well as to governmental users, private companies and European citizens while benefiting from ensuring high-speed internet broadband to cope with connectivity dead zones.

SES – together with other consortium partners and core members, was selected by the European Commission to build and to operate the IRIS2 multi-orbit satellite constellation.

The IRIS2 team enters next project phases, we seek and there is a strong need of support for all the activities around service provisioning and products that the system can offer in the future.

ROLE DESCRIPTION SUMMARY

We are seeking a Satellite Network Integration & Validation Engineer to plan, execute, and automate the testing and validation of routing hardware and software solutions for the IRIS² and MEO programme network architecture. This role brings together SDN control-plane, data-plane, routing, software, and hardware components into representative test environments and proves that the integrated solution meets functional, performance, interoperability, and resilience expectations. The position is ideal for an engineer who is rigorous, hands-on, and comfortable working across lab systems, network protocols, automation, and programme-level validation requirements.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES / KEY RESULT AREAS

• Define integration and validation plans for routing hardware, routing software, SDN control-plane functions, and data-plane capabilities.
• Build and maintain lab environments, testbeds, and automated validation pipelines for network components and end-to-end scenarios.
• Develop functional, performance, regression, resilience, failover, scalability, and interoperability test cases.
• Execute validation campaigns using traffic generators, packet analysis, telemetry, logs, instrumentation, and fault-injection techniques.
• Coordinate issue investigation and resolution across architecture, software, hardware, simulation, and operations stakeholders.
• Establish traceability between requirements, specifications, test cases, results, defects, and acceptance evidence.
• Support integration of vendor, partner, and internally developed network components into representative satellite network test environments.
• Produce clear validation reports, readiness assessments, and technical recommendations for programme decision-making.

Qualifications Background and Experience

• M.S. or B.S. in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Telecommunications, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Strong hands-on experience with network integration, system validation, lab testing, or verification of telecom, IP, SDN, or mission-critical systems.
• Solid understanding of routing, switching, traffic engineering, QoS, SDN control-plane behavior, data-plane forwarding, and network resilience.
• Experience with Linux networking, packet capture, traffic generation, automation, test frameworks, CI/CD, and performance instrumentation.
• Familiarity with hardware/software integration, programmable networking, virtualized network functions, containers, and lab orchestration.
• Programming or scripting skills in Python, Bash, PowerShell, Go, or similar languages used for test automation and tooling.
• Ability to write test plans, procedures, reports, defect descriptions, and acceptance evidence with clear technical reasoning.
• Experience in satellite communications, aerospace, telecom, or regulated engineering environments is highly valuable.

OTHER KEY REQUIREMENTS / COMMENTS

• The candidate must be eligible for a “SECRET” security clearance, in accordance with the national regulations as well as EU/ESA/NATO equivalents
• Willing to work 60% onsite from office
• Travel as required for project realization purposes