Remote Sensing Microwave Instrument Engineer

Remote Sensing Microwave Instrument Engineer in the Payload Engineering Section, RF Payloads & Technology Division, Electrical Department, Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality.

The Payload Engineering Section provides functional support to ESA projects and carries out technological research (R&D) in telecommunication payloads and subsystems and microwave and millimetre wave remote sensing instruments and navigation payloads exploiting analogue, digital and optical on-board technologies.

Reporting to the Head of Section and within the technical fields described above, your main tasks and responsibilities will include:

• providing ESA projects, programmes and general studies with expert technical support and consultancy on RF payloads throughout all project phases, in particular regarding RF, microwave and millimetre wave remote sensing instruments and payloads;
• contributing to the overall architectural definition, specification, development and verification of future RF, microwave and millimetre wave remote sensing instruments/payloads, including assessment of new concepts, signal processing techniques and applications of new technologies;
• assessing new concepts, architectures, technologies and processing techniques to be applied to the next generation of microwave and millimetre wave instruments/payloads;
• defining the technological requirements of microwave and millimetre wave remote sensing instruments, in co-operation with ESA’s specialists in the different domains;
• participating in feasibility studies, project reviews and the evaluation of procurement proposals;
• identifying critical development problems and assisting in their resolution;
• contributing to the definition of technology development requirements and work plans for the Agency’s technology programmes in the area of RF, microwave and millimetre wave remote sensing instruments/payloads;
• defining, initiating and managing R&D activities covering both long- and short-term needs;
• fostering new application areas for multidisciplinary activities, placing emphasis on innovative concepts, cutting-edge technologies and system architectures;
• laboratory activities as required;
• monitoring applicable scientific and technological trends and maintaining state-of-the-art expertise;
• contributing to the dissemination of results of activities performed and the transfer of knowledge across the Agency;
• supervising students and trainees with respect to the analysis, simulation and development of advanced concepts in the Section’s technical fields.

Your duties may also include supporting other activities within your field of competence.

A Master’s degree in telecommunications, electronics or RF/microwave engineering is required.

Very good understanding of  spaceborne microwave remote sensing instrument functionality, architectures and key performance parameters and specifications.

Experience in the design, development and verification of synthetic aperture radars, radar altimeters, scatterometers, radiometers, real aperture radars (weather radars and ground-penetrating radars).

Very good knowledge of modern computer systems, simulation and modelling tools, programming languages, signal processing techniques and technologies.

Very good knowledge of on-board digital signal processing techniques and technologies for spaceborne radars will be considered an asset, as will some years of professional experience in the technical domains required for this position.