Mission Management Team Lead

ICEYE; Espoo; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

ICEYE in Espoo, Finland seeks a Mission Management Team Lead to guide the team that takes satellites from build through commercial acceptance, owning schedules, risks, and cross‑functional work across AIT, Reliability & Mission Assurance, Configuration Management, Launch Management and Satellite Operations.

The role requires strong leadership, extensive space domain experience, and the ability to drive proactive risk management and data‑driven decision making across multiple sites and customers.

Qualifications

• Degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical or Electronics Engineering or equivalent systems experience.
• 7+ years in space/aerospace & defense with hands-on build/test/launch/orbit ops.
• Proven leadership or technical lead experience mentoring teams.
• Strong understanding of satellite lifecycle from AIT to commissioning.
• Experience with nonconformance management and risk-based decisions.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor and grow a team of Mission Managers with clear priorities and performance standards.
• Plan capacity and satellite assignments, ramp up onboarding for new Mission Managers.
• Scale proactive risk management with robust processes and data.
• Own Build-to-Launch process, gates for flight acceptance and launch readiness.
• Maintain data-driven view of satellite tracking for leadership review.
• Own high-priority issues with RCA and corrective actions across teams.
• Oversee LEOP and commissioning to a repeatable standard across missions.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Communication

English proficiency

Education

Engineering degree (Aerospace/Mechanical/Electrical/Electronics)

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Job description

Role highlights:

• Mission Management Team Lead

• Location: Espoo, Finland

• Department: Global Manufacturing Organization

• Reports to: Senior VP of Global Manufacturing Organization

• Employment type: Permanent

• Workplace model: Office

• Employment is subject to applicable security screening (incl. SUPO, where required)

Why this role matters:

ICEYE is looking for a Mission Management Team Lead to lead the team that takes every satellite from build start to commercial acceptance in orbit.

Every ICEYE satellite has a named Mission Manager who owns its schedule, risks and status at tail-number level, working across assembly, integration and testing (AIT), Engineering, Reliability & Mission Assurance, Configuration Management, Launch Management and Satellite Operations. As Team Lead, you set the standard for how that work is done, grow the people who do it, and act as the escalation point when a satellite's schedule, risk or customer commitment is on the line.

Who We Are

ICEYE is the world leader in sovereign intelligence from space. We deliver persistent monitoring capabilities to detect and respond to changes in any location on Earth.

ICEYE owns the world's largest and most advanced SAR (synthetic aperture radar) satellite constellation. To our customers we provide intelligence with unmatched quality, latency and revisit times, in any weather, day or night. To governments who choose to operate their own constellation we provide this proven capability as a sovereign system.

ICEYE-built constellations serve customers in defence and intelligence, environmental monitoring, insurance and emergency management. We enable fast decisions that contribute to a safer future.

Founded and headquartered in Finland, ICEYE operates globally with over 1000 employees across Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.

Your day-to-day responsibilities

Lead and grow the team

• Lead, mentor and develop a team of Mission Managers, setting clear priorities, roles and performance standards, and building a culture of ownership and continuous improvement.

• Plan team capacity and satellite assignments as build cadence grows; hire and onboard new Mission Managers through a structured ramp-up.

• Scale the team's proactive risk management as satellite cadence grows, through clear processes, good tooling and reliable data.

Own the Build-to-Launch process

• Own and evolve the Build-to-Launch process and its review framework: design, test and readiness checkpoints throughout the build, and decision gates for flight acceptance, launch readiness and commercial acceptance, applied consistently across products, sites and customers.

• Ensure every gate is held with complete inputs, and that residual risks are clearly presented for acceptance by the gate approver.

• Keep a clear, data-driven view of how every satellite is tracking, from review timeliness to total risk exposure, and share it with manufacturing leadership.

Nonconformance and mission risk

• Own the highest-priority issues, driving root cause analysis and corrective actions together with AIT Engineering and Reliability & Mission Assurance, and making sure lessons learned reach future builds.

• Own the per-satellite risk register and assess the mission risk of every disposition that leaves a deviation on a flight satellite (use as is, repair, limited use): impact on schedule, launch slot, customer commitments and operations in space.

• Act as the escalation path for mission critical risks that need a waiver decision.

LEOP and commissioning

• Make sure the team runs launch and early orbit phase preparation, execution and commissioning to one repeatable standard across missions and customers, and act as the escalation point for critical in-orbit events.

• Set the standard for commissioning plans and reporting, and ensure in-orbit anomalies and their risks are handed over cleanly to Satellite Operations.

New generations and strategic initiatives

• Plan how the team supports the introduction of new satellite generations and platforms into production across sites, aligning with engineering and manufacturing leads on readiness.

• Represent Mission Management in strategic initiatives across manufacturing, giving clear, decision-ready input to manufacturing leadership.

What we’re looking for

Must haves:

• A degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical or Electronics Engineering, or equivalent experience in a Systems, AIT/AIV or mission role.

• 7+ years of experience in the space or aerospace & defense industry, including hands-on involvement in spacecraft build, test, launch or in-orbit operations.

• Proven track record in team leadership or technical lead roles, including building, mentoring and developing a team.

• Strong understanding of the satellite lifecycle from AIT through launch, LEOP and commissioning.

• Experience with nonconformance management, root cause analysis and corrective and preventive actions, and with making risk-based decisions on flight hardware.

• Experience running formal technical reviews and gates (such as test readiness, flight acceptance or launch readiness reviews).

• Experience in project or program management of technical missions, including schedule and risk management.

• Experience working directly with customers at working and management level, including raising issues clearly and early.

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills across engineering, production, operations and leadership.

• Strong written and spoken English.

Nice to haves:

• Experience with SAR or Earth Observation satellites, or with constellation-scale serial production.

• Experience running a process across multiple production sites, or scaling one to new sites.

• Hands-on experience in satellite operations, mission control or LEOP.

• Experience introducing new products or platforms into production.

• Comfort with Jira, Confluence or similar tools, and an interest in data-driven tooling and automating team workflows.

Application Process

• Talent Acquisition interview

• Hiring Manager Interview

• Technical interview

• Panel interview on-site

Working at ICEYE

At ICEYE, you’ll join a diverse and highly engaged team united by the ambition to make the impossible possible. As a global scale-up, we combine speed and ambition with the opportunity to take real ownership from day one. Your growth, wellbeing, and success are a priority, with continuous professional development, training opportunities, and a culture where collaboration is how we win.

How We Work (Our Values)

Make the impossible possible: We set ambitious goals and stay calm under pressure. We bring grit, optimism, and ownership when things get hard, and we keep moving until we find a way.

• Be curious: Go deep, ask questions, listen carefully, and think critically. Understand the “why” behind decisions.

• See the big picture: Stay close to what’s happening across the company so you can make better decisions. Consider how your work affects others.

• Drive effective teamwork: Create psychological safety, invite different perspectives, and build inclusive teams. There are no bad questions.

• Act as one team: We win together. We match tasks to the right owner and stay agile as priorities shift.

• Have fun: What we do matters—and it should be enjoyable. Celebrate progress, take pride in results, and share the wins.

Benefits

Our benefits are designed to support your health and wellbeing, at work and beyond. We keep improving them based on employee feedback, and offerings vary by location. Talent Attraction will confirm what applies for this role and location during the process.

Base salary range for this position is dependent on experience, and will be negotiated individually.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We want ICEYE to be a place where people can be themselves and do great work. Different backgrounds and perspectives make us stronger, which is why we work to create an environment where people feel included, respected, and able to speak up. Whatever your background, we want you to bring your authentic self to the table.

We’re committed to fair, inclusive hiring and equal opportunity. Everyone is welcome to apply. If you need any adjustments or support during the recruitment process, tell us—we’ll do our best to help.