Senior System Engineer (SpaceOps) (m/f/d)

Rheinmetall AG; München; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Attractive, competitive compensation

Diversity, equity, and inclusion focus

Job summary

A leading defense technology firm in Munich seeks a Senior Systems Engineer to oversee the integration of multi-partner ISR systems. The role involves aligning system architecture, managing integration risks, and ensuring that partner solutions meet system requirements. Ideal candidates have expertise in system-level architecture and can challenge assumptions constructively. This position contributes significantly to defense and security innovations, offering competitive compensation and fostering a diverse work environment.

Qualifications

• Proven experience owning or shaping system architectures across organizations.
• Strong understanding of constraints across different system components.
• Expertise in defining interfaces and performance requirements.

Responsibilities

• Align end-to-end ISR system architecture across partners.
• Manage integration issues and technical challenges.
• Validate the full system against real mission scenarios.

Skills

System architecture ownership

Integration risk management

Technical integration

Defining system-level requirements

Constructive challenge to partners

Job description

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

About Us

We are pioneering the future of satellite intelligence and defense. Backed by Rheinmetall's proven defense expertise and ICEYE's radar satellite innovation, our joint venture has the ambition of delivering one of the world's largest earth observation satellite constellations to defend Germany.

Our mission? Empower Europe’s security and defense with sovereign, persistent, and accurate space-based intelligence under any condition.

Join us to shape one of Europe’s most significant high-tech projects and make a real impact on defense and security for tomorrow.

The Mission of the (Senior) Systems Engineer

Own and align the end-to-end ISR system architecture across RISS and its partners.

This role exists to ensure that a multi-partner ISR system - involving satellite operators (e.g. ICEYE), hardware and sensor suppliers, ground segment providers, and software teams - functions as a single, coherent, operable system.

As a Senior Systems Engineer, you act as the technical integrator and architectural authority across organizational boundaries. You translate mission needs into system-level architectures and requirements, manage interfaces between independently developed components, and ensure that partner solutions align with RISS system intent.

You are the person who understands where partner assumptions collide, where integration risk hides, and where architectural clarity prevents costly downstream failure.

Outcomes:

• Space, sensors, ground, software, and analytics - including partner-provided components - are integrated into a well-defined system architecture with explicit interfaces and responsibilities.
• External partners (e.g. ICEYE, sensor vendors, integrators) build to agreed system requirements, interfaces, and performance assumptions - not local optimizations.
• Integration issues between partners are identified and mitigated early through architectural decisions, interface control, and technical challenge.
• RISS - not individual partners - owns and arbitrates trade-offs across performance, latency, cost, operability, and scalability.
• The full system is validated against real mission scenarios, not just component-level acceptance criteria.

Proven experience owning or shaping system architectures spanning multiple organizations, vendors, or consortia - with the ability to enforce coherence without direct line authority.

Strong understanding of how constraints propagate across space, sensors, ground segment, software, data pipelines, and operations - including when components are externally developed.

Expertise in defining system-level requirements, interfaces (ICDs), and performance budgets that enable parallel development across partners without integration failure.

Ability to challenge partners constructively, push back on assumptions, and resolve conflicts through technical reasoning rather than hierarchy or contract language alone.

Experience designing system-level verification and acceptance approaches that ensure partner‑delivered components work together in operational reality.

Direct contribution to sovereignty, security, and resilience

Participation in one of Europe's most ambitious New Space projects

Actively shape the development of a rapidly growing organization

Entrepreneurial culture backed by a leading defense company

Attractive, competitive compensation

Apply now and start your journey with RISS!

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

At RISS, we believe that diversity fosters innovation and strengthens us as an organization. We create a work environment where different perspectives and talents are not only welcome but valued.