Senior Electric Propulsion Engineer

ICEYE; Warszawa; Hybrid; PLN 276,008 - 360,933; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and wellbeing support

Employee feedback-driven benefits

Inclusive hiring practices

Job summary

ICEYE is seeking a Senior Electric Propulsion Engineer for our team in Warszawa, Poland. You will shape the future of in-space mobility for ICEYE’s Earth-Observation satellites, leading the design and integration of Hall Effect Thruster propulsion systems.

The ideal candidate should have a strong background in electric propulsion and plasma physics with over 6 years of experience. This hybrid role offers the opportunity to collaborate with diverse teams across engineering disciplines to ensure robust performance and qualifying testing of systems.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience with electric propulsion systems.
• Strong foundation in plasma physics and spacecraft system integration.
• Hands-on experience with propulsion laboratory testing.

Responsibilities

• Lead subsystem architecture and design for HET systems.
• Define requirements for propulsion subsystems.
• Monitor on-orbit propulsion performance and lead investigations.

Skills

Electric propulsion systems design

Plasma physics

Analytical modeling

Project management

Python programming

Electrical Engineering

Education

MSc or PhD in Aerospace Engineering

Tools

COMSOL

ANSYS

MATLAB

Job description

About the Role

• Senior Electric Propulsion Engineer
• Spacecraft Analysis, Orbit and Attitude Control
• Espoo, Finland
• Reports to: Engineering Lead, AOCS Hardware
• Hybrid working type
• Employment subject to applicable security screening (incl. SUPO, where required)

Job Description

You will bring your expertise in electric propulsion to shape the future of in-space mobility for ICEYE’s Earth-Observation satellite fleet. As a senior member of the AOCS Hardware team, you will play a central role in the design, integration, qualification and flight support of ICEYE’s Hall Effect Thruster (HET) propulsion systems and their supporting subsystems.

You will own the engineering and maturation of propulsion peripheral systems (including FCU, feed and tank systems, PPUs, valves, cabling and associated electronics), ensuring robust performance, testability and production readiness across flight programs. Working closely across disciplines and with external partners, you will lead activities from early concept and trade-offs through qualification, production and on-orbit operations.

Day To Day Responsibilities

• Lead subsystem architecture, preliminary design and performance trade-offs for HET propulsion systems, considering mission, spacecraft and operational constraints.
• Define requirements, interfaces and verification strategies for propulsion subsystems, ensuring seamless integration with avionics, mechanical, thermal and GNC systems.
• Perform analytical modeling and simulation of HET behavior, including plasma/beam physics, plume effects, thermal interactions and spacecraft contamination considerations.
• Own on-ground and in-flight characterization and validation of propulsion performance (thrust, specific impulse, efficiency, plume interactions, erosion and lifetime) across functional, environmental and lifetime test campaigns.
• Design, specify and operate required ground test facilities and infrastructure, including vacuum systems, feed/power systems, diagnostics and safety controls.
• Define qualification, acceptance and production-readiness criteria, driving the transition of matured subsystems into repeatable flight builds with robust test and inspection flows.
• Monitor on-orbit propulsion performance, lead anomaly investigations and feed lessons learned back into design and production improvements.
• Manage technical interfaces with suppliers, partners and research institutions, ensuring strong documentation and regulatory/qualification compliance.

Requirements (Must have skills)

• MSc or PhD in Aerospace Engineering, Plasma Physics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• 6+ years of experience with electric propulsion systems (preferably Hall Effect Thrusters) across design, testing or operations.
• Strong foundation in plasma physics, electric propulsion modeling and spacecraft system integration.
• Experience designing or evaluating propulsion power systems and interfaces (including PPUs and high-voltage architectures).
• Proficiency with analytical and numerical tools for plasma, thermal or fluid simulations (e.g., COMSOL, ANSYS, SPIS, MATLAB).
• Hands‑on experience with propulsion laboratory testing, plasma diagnostics and high‑voltage instrumentation, including safe operation of vacuum and contamination‑controlled environments.
• Ability to work effectively across mechanical, avionics, GNC and systems disciplines, with strong communication skills.

Nice to have skills

• Experience leading qualification or flight‑certification test campaigns for propulsion subsystems.
• Familiarity with high‑voltage design, thermal vacuum testing, lifetime/erosion testing and spacecraft contamination control.
• Proficiency in Python and Git for data analysis or tooling; C/C++ experience for collaboration with flight software teams is a plus.
• Experience managing suppliers and translating R&D hardware into production‑ready, flight‑qualified designs and documentation.

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 Acquisition will confirm what applies for this role and location during the process.

EEO Statement

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

Apply now to start your ICEYE journey, and help us continue to make the impossible possible together.