Space Mission Architect – RPO & In-Orbit Servicing

PIAP Space Sp. z o.o; Warszawa; On-site; PLN 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private healthcare coverage

Life insurance

Sports packages

Professional development

Job summary

PIAP Space sp. z o.o in Warszawa is seeking a senior space systems engineer to develop mission concepts and ConOps for RPO, IOS, and space robotics missions.

You will lead proposals for ESA and commercial clients, define WBS, DDVP, architectures, and perform high-level analyses while collaborating with international suppliers and multidisciplinary teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in a technical discipline such as Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering or Physics.
• Minimum 5 years in space industry, with systems engineering or mission design experience.
• Strong knowledge of RPO, orbital mechanics and relative navigation.
• Experience preparing technical proposals for ESA or commercial space customers.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management with international customers and suppliers.

Responsibilities

• Develop complete mission concepts and ConOps for Rendezvous and Proximity Operations, IOS, and space robotics missions.
• Lead technical preparation of proposals for ESA and commercial customers, including WBS, WPD, DDVP, and system architectures.
• Perform high-level mission analyses, trade studies, and top-level budget assessments (delta-V, mass, power).
• Translate customer needs into mission and system requirements.
• Interface with spacecraft platform, propulsion, and payload suppliers.
• Support business development activities and present to customers.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams on mission architecture and system design.

Skills

RPO concepts

Mission design

Systems engineering

Proposal preparation

Education

Aerospace Engineering degree

Tools

GMAT

FreeFlyer

MATLAB

Python

Job description

At least 5 years of professional experience in the space industry.

Main Responsibilities

• Develop complete mission concepts and Concepts of Operations (ConOps) for Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO), In-Orbit Servicing (IOS), and space robotics missions.
• Lead the technical preparation of proposals for the European Space Agency (ESA) and commercial customers, including the definition of Work Breakdown Structures (WBS), Work Package Descriptions (WPD), Design, Development, Verification and Validation Plans (DDVP), and technical system architectures.
• Perform high-level mission analysis, trade-off studies, and top-level mission budget assessments, including delta-V, mass, and power budgets.
• Translate customer needs into mission and system requirements.
• Interface with spacecraft platform, propulsion system, and payload suppliers.
• Support business development activities and participate in technical discussions and presentations with customers.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary engineering teams on mission architecture and system design activities.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, Physics, or a related technical discipline.
• Minimum 5 years of professional experience in the space industry, particularly in systems engineering, mission design, or Phase 0/A/B1 studies.
• Strong understanding of Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO), orbital mechanics, and relative navigation.
• Demonstrated experience in preparing technical proposals for ESA or commercial space customers.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, including experience working with international customers and subsystem suppliers.
• Fluent written and spoken English.

Nice to Have

• Experience or strong interest in space robotics, robotic manipulators, and Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC) for proximity operations.
• Experience with mission analysis and simulation tools such as GMAT, FreeFlyer, MATLAB, or Python.
• Experience working on ESA-funded or ESA-led programmes.

We Offer

• Exciting career opportunities in a fast-growing space industry company.
• Opportunity to contribute to innovative projects for the ESA and other clients.
• Competitive salary based on your qualifications, experience, and responsibilities.
• Professional development opportunities, including training, conferences, and industry events.
• Private healthcare coverage.
• Life insurance.
• Access to sports packages.

“I hereby consent to the processing of my personal data by PIAP Space sp. z o.o. for the purposes of current and future recruitment processes, in accordance with the Personal Data Protection Act of 10 May 2018 and Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 (General Data Protection Regulation – GDPR) concerning the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data.”