Sub-millimeter Wave Engineer

We are looking for a Sub-millimeter Wave Engineer (E3) to join our Akkodis Aerospace team, working onsite at the European Space Agency in the Netherlands. 

Tasks to be performed:

• Contribution to the engineering work in the field of sub-millimeter wave engineering in support to ESA Projects, which includes:
  • Supporting Staff in interfacing with Projects (and Studies). This includes:
    • Providing expertise to support Projects (and Studies) throughout all project phases, for antenna sub-systems;
    • Performing and documenting relevant analyses;
    • Supporting the implementation of industrial project activities;
  • Supporting and performing “in-house” design and trade-offs to support projectspecific technology developments;
  • Supporting the implementation of industrial project activities;
  • Providing hands-on antenna modelling and testing support to projects, which will require proper coordination with the corresponding Laboratory Service.
  • Supporting and contributing to meetings and reviews.
• Identification, implementation, validation, and operation of the relevant section tools, which includes:
  • Providing expertise related to the software, hardware and data related tools;
  • Participating in the development, validation, deployment and maintenance of relevant internal software tools and databases;
  • Liaising with Technical Responsible for the proper configuration of software / hardware either developed in the service itself or originating from external activities.
  • Operating the tools for the purpose of supporting Projects or ESA R&D activities.
• Support to Staff in the implementation of R&D activities in the technical domain. This includes:
  • Providing technical inputs to the definition of technology roadmaps and contributing to relevant reviews and meetings;
  • Monitoring applicable scientific and technological trends and maintaining stateof-the-art expertise in sub-millimeter wave systems;
  • Providing inputs to documentation and meetings / reviews, conducting relevant technical analyses;
  • Contribute to the definition of technical requirements and statements of work for the tasks to be performed by industry from early conceptual studies to full hardware development;
  • Reviewing output from industry / academia and providing inputs to the ESA Technical representative. This includes – when relevant – the conduction of software or of hardware tests in a Divisional laboratory, which will require proper coordination with the corresponding Laboratory Service.
  • Supporting the ESA Technical representative in meeting with industry / academia;
  • When required, organizing ad hoc meetings with industry / academia and reporting on their outcome to the ESA Technical representative.

In the frame of these functional tasks, technical activities are expected to include:

• Analysing and characterizing submillimetre wave systems as well as interference effects with the spacecraft structure.
• Designing, synthesizing, analysing and engineering all submillimetre antenna subsystems including stand-alone radiators, arrays, reflector and lens optics and their associated focal plane.
• Executing instrument architecture, engineering and testing activities as well as antenna, front-end technology (e.g. quasi-optic multi-frequency, heterodyne receivers, direct detectors, arrays, lenses..) and components (e.g. mixers, multipliers,..) developments for submillimetre wave applications.
• Coordinating all aspects of antenna and submillimetre wave devices (e.g. Schottky diode, Kinetic Inductance Detectors, Quantum Cascade Lasers,..), as well as coordinating non-electrical technology developments.
• Interfacing with other sections for structural aspects (e.g. reflection characteristics, impact of manufacturing and thermo-elastic errors) and for sub-system and system aspects.
• Developing RF Modelling and design tools for all kind of submillimetre stand-alone antennas and antenna interactions (e.g. parasitic effect on the radiation performance, coupling among antenna ports, antenna farm analysis, scattering effects,...) for spacecraft (including mini and CubeSats) or other platform, including advanced techniques (e.g. Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence techniques, etc.).
• Supporting the testing of the radiative performance of antennas, payloads and instruments both in stand-alone and in relevant environment.
• Supporting the characterization of the RF properties of materials, both at room- and operational-temperature
• Supporting the involvement in ESA Working Groups, Workshops/ Conferences organisation.
• Supporting the technology harmonisation and coordination in the area of Passive submillimeter wave technologies.
• Ensuring operations according to ISO 9001

Welkom bij Akkodis

Akkodis has proudly supported the Aerospace & Defence industry in the Netherlands for decades. Our partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA) has been one of the many success stories allowing our people to expand their career horizons. Akkodis experts are contributing to some of the most important technical advances in Aerospace and Defence which impact the way we live our lives today, through specialised engineering expertise and other required skillsets. This could be your future. Become part of our successful team!

About ESA-ESTEC 

The European Space Agency (ESA) has sites in several European countries. 

The European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC), has grown into ESA’s largest establishment and the technical and organizational hub of Europe’s space sector. Missions designed and tested at ESTEC are circling Earth, have landed on planetary bodies and have probed far into the Solar System.

The infrastructure and equipment assembled here, together with the expert knowhow of its 2800 personnel, make ESTEC a unique resource for Europe. The work done here by teams skilled in every aspect of engineering for space has enabled the creation of novel communication, navigation and information services, creating new jobs and growth while improving the lives of European and world citizens.

Kandidaat Profiel

To successfully perform the above mentioned tasks, the following background / experience is required: 

• MSc or PhD in Telecommunications or Electrical Engineering or Physics combied with very good knowledge in electromagnetic wave theory.
• Experience with sub-millimeter wave architectures and technologies as applied to space.
• Familiarity with sub-millimeter wave Space constraints at RF, mechanical, thermal and environmental levels gained from the handling of Flight Model development or R&D development at high TRL level.
• Familiarity with sub-millimeter wave industrial design, manufacturing, testing processes, architecture and technologies.
• Expertise in using electromagnetic modelling tools (e.g. Ticra Tools, Ansys, CST, Zeemax) and programming languages (e.g. Python, Matlab)
• Familiarity with sub-millimeter wave testing processes, cryogenics and control software design for sub-millimeter wave measurement systems.
• Project support skills and experience in management of R&D activities is considered an asset.

Please send your CV to recruitmentaerospace@akkodisgroup.com as soon as possible