Head of Payload, Hyper — Lead Space Payload

KSAT – Kongsberg Satellite Services; Tromsø; On-site; NOK 1,200,000 - 2,000,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary conditions

Health insurance & pension

Phone & mobile subscriptions

Company cabin

Sports support

Job summary

KSAT – Kongsberg Satellite Services is seeking a Head of Payload to lead the Hyper payload end-to-end from concept to in-orbit delivery. This Norway-based leadership role unifies customer, supplier, and internal teams to drive requirements, interfaces, and schedules.

You will chair design reviews, manage external payload and ground-network suppliers, and ensure mission readiness across all involved parties. Eligible to work in Norway and based in the Nordic region is expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace, Communications, or a related field.
• 8+ years of experience with spacecraft communications systems, payload integration, or RF systems engineering, including time in a lead or technical-authority capacity.
• Proven experience managing external suppliers through requirements, qualification, review, and acceptance.
• Strong RF payload background (Ka/X/S-band), modems, antennas, amplifiers, and SDR platforms.
• Solid understanding of spacecraft bus interfaces (power, thermal, data, mechanical) and payload-bus integration.
• Track record chairing or supporting major design reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR).
• Excellent systems-engineering, interface-control, documentation, and multi-party coordination skills.
• Based in Norway: residence in Norway and eligibility to work in Norway are required for this role.

Responsibilities

• Serve as KSAT's internal owner and technical authority for the Hyper payload, from concept through integration, in-orbit demonstration, and flight delivery.
• Manage the external payload & communications supplier: own requirements flow-down, milestone and acceptance criteria, design reviews, and delivery against the Statement of Work.
• Coordinate and hold accountable all other delivery parties—internal engineering, spacecraft-bus / platform providers, ground-network partners, and additional suppliers—ensuring their scope, interfaces, and schedules stay aligned.
• Own cross-lane payload architecture and interface definition (RF, data, power, thermal, command/telemetry) between payload, spacecraft bus, and ground segment.
• Plan and chair the payload gate reviews (KO, PDR, CDR, TRR); define entry and exit criteria; and drive open decisions to dated closure.
• Own the payload risk register, integrated schedule inputs, and status reporting to the Program Manager and Head of Engineering.
• Adjudicate cross-lane trade studies (e.g., S- vs. Ka-band, RF vs. optical ISL, spread-spectrum resilience, waveform and HPA selection).
• Oversee payload calibration and the in-orbit test-and-demonstration campaign, including the dedicated ground calibration asset (MIMIC).
• Represent the payload in customer, partner, and launch-readiness discussions, ensuring technical alignment and mission readiness.

Skills

RF payload

Supplier management

Systems engineering

Design reviews

Lead technical authority

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Engineering

Tools

Cameo

CORE MBSE

Job description

KSAT – Kongsberg Satellite Services is seeking a Head of Payload to lead the Hyper payload end-to-end from concept to in-orbit delivery. This Norway-based leadership role unifies customer, supplier, and internal teams to drive requirements, interfaces, and schedules.

You will chair design reviews, manage external payload and ground-network suppliers, and ensure mission readiness across all involved parties. Eligible to work in Norway and based in the Nordic region is expected.