Systems Engineer - Small Satellite Missions

Systems Engineer - Small Satellite Missions

Alén Space

Nigrán or Remote, Spain

Job Description

We are looking for a Senior Systems Engineer to join our Space Missions area, specifically within the Systems Engineering team. The selected candidate will take on a central technical role in the definition and execution of space missions, acting as Technical Lead when required. This includes assuming system-level responsibility, leading the architecture and design process, ensuring technical coherence, and coordinating the work of specialized engineering teams. You will participate in all mission phases, from early definition (Phase 0/A) to final implementation and launch, ensuring proper validation at each milestone (PDR, CDR, etc.) and contributing to post-delivery support when required.

Position Tasks and Responsibilities

Main responsibilities include:

• Leading the definition and consolidation of mission requirements (MRD) and system requirements (SRD) in alignment with customer needs and mission objectives;
• Designing and iterating mission architectures, ensuring subsystem compatibility, scalability, and alignment with performance, cost, and risk constraints;
• Developing and maintaining the Concept of Operations (CONOPS) and defining operational modes (OpModes) to guide system behavior across mission phases;
• Performing subsystem trade-off analyses to support selection and procurement of mission-specific equipment, both commercial and custom-developed;
• Supporting launcher selection, including assessment of mechanical and electrical interface compatibility, volume constraints, and environmental requirements;
• Leading the definition and implementation of the system-level verification approach, including the creation and management of a Requirements Verification Matrix (RoD);
• Coordinating closely with other internal teams—Mission Analysis, Communications & Data Handling, and Mechanical—to ensure system integration and coherence;
• Supporting commercial activities through technical inputs to proposals, in collaboration with the Platform Product Owner, contributing to solution design and feasibility assessments.

Candidate qualifications and skills

We are looking for a technically solid, autonomous and collaborative engineer with the ability to lead and coordinate multi-disciplinary efforts at the system level. The ideal candidate should have:

• A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering or a related discipline;
• At least 5 years of relevant experience in system-level engineering for space missions, preferably in small satellite projects or within the New Space environment;
• Proven experience in:
  • Mission and system requirements engineering (MRD, SRD);
  • Mission architecture design and subsystem definition;
  • CONOPS and OpModes development;
  • Verification planning and management (RoD).
• Experience acting as Technical Lead, with a clear ability to manage technical risks, facilitate decision-making, and lead reviews (e.g., PDR, CDR);
• Excellent communication, documentation, and coordination skills, with the ability to work across teams and with external partners;
• Fluency in English (spoken and written);
• Ability to operate autonomously, while maintaining alignment with overall mission and company goals.

Nice to have

• Hands-on experience in nanosatellite development projects, including AIT (Assembly, Integration and Test);
• Familiarity with ECSS or NASA standards and processes;
• Experience working with launch providers, including interface documentation and campaign preparation;
• Involvement in proposal writing, particularly within competitive tenders or institutional frameworks (ESA, Horizon Europe, etc.);
• Knowledge of Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) or tools such as MagicDraw, Capella, SysML, or equivalent.

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