(Senior) Systems Engineer Ground Segment

About Us

We are pioneering the future of satellite intelligence and defense. Backed by Rheinmetall’s proven defense expertise and ICEYE’s radar satellite innovation, our joint venture has the ambition of delivering one of the world's largest earth observation satellite constellations to defend Germany.

Our mission? Empower Europe’s security and defense with sovereign, persistent, and accurate space-based intelligence under any condition.

Join us to shape one of Europe’s most significant high-tech projects and make a real impact on defense and security for tomorrow.

The Mission of the (Senior) Systems Engineer Ground Segment

Own and align the ground part of the end-to-end ISR system architecture across RISS and her industrial partners.

As a Senior Systems Engineer, you act as the technical integrator and architectural authority wrt the constellation ground segment across organisational boundaries. You translate ground segment mission needs into system-level architectures and requirements, manage interfaces between independently developed components, and ensure that partner solutions align with RISS system intent. 

You are the person who understands where partner assumptions collide, where integration risk hides, and where architectural clarity prevents costly downstream failure. You will operate at the intersection of engineering disciplines, suppliers, and program stakeholders, acting as the technical backbone that turns ambitious mission goals into deployable ground systems.

Outcomes:

• Define and maintain a ground system segment architecture that meets mission, performance, and regulatory requirements. Own and arbitrate trade-offs across latency, performance, cost, operability, and scalability.
• Drive, manage, and trace system-level requirements across subsystems and suppliers, ensuring alignment throughout the lifecycle.
• Identify and mitigate system-level risks early and drive informed technical trade-offs across cost, schedule, performance, and reliability.
• Identify and mitigate integration issues between partners early through architectural decisions, interface control, and technical challenges.
• Support verification, validation, and acceptance activities to ensure the ground segment is fit for operational use under potentially adverse conditions.
• Ensure the end-to-end system is validated against real mission scenarios, not just component-level acceptance criteria.

• At least 5 years of experience in a relevant role in industry.
• Proven experience owning and shaping system architectures spanning multiple organizations, vendors, or consortia — with the ability to enforce coherence without direct line authority.
• You thrive under pressure and you excel when working as part of a diverse, interdisciplinary team.
• Strong understanding of how constraints propagate across space, sensors, ground segment, software, data pipelines, and operations — including when components are externally developed.
• Expertise in defining system-level requirements, interfaces, and performance budgets that enable parallel development across partners without integration failure.
• Ability to challenge partners constructively, push back on assumptions, and resolve conflicts through technical reasoning rather than hierarchy or contract language alone.
• Experience designing system-level verification and acceptance approaches that ensure partner-delivered components work together in operational reality.

RISS Key Competences

In addition to role-specific competencies, every candidate is assessed on the following RISS qualities:

• Intellectual Firepower & Growth Mindset – Quickly understands complex systems, synthesises information, learns fast, and adapts.
• Passion & Work Ethic – Sustained drive, resilience, and high personal standards under pressure.
• Ownership & Action – Acts decisively, takes full accountability, and unblocks progress without waiting for permission.
• Team Player – Operates with humility, cross‑functional collaboration, and shared mission focus.
• Adaptability & Resilience – Thrives in ambiguity, adjusts rapidly to change, and maintains performance under stress.

Your strengths and experience count at Rheinmetall, even if you may not meet all of the listed requirements. We look forward to receiving applications from candidates (m/f/d) who are keen to make a difference and take on responsibility. We value individuality and equal opportunities. Severely disabled applicants (m/f/d) will be given special consideration if they are equally qualified.

• The opportunity to help shape a national sovereign space capability.
• A role that directly impacts Europe's security and defense architecture.
• Competitive compensation with strong development and learning opportunities.
• A supportive, diverse, and mission-oriented environment.
• Relocation assistance
• An annual professional development budget and access to training, conferences, and certification programs.
• Modern offices with areas for collaboration and focused work.

Apply now and start your journey with RISS!

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
At RISS, we believe that diversity fosters innovation and strengthens us as an organization. We create a work environment where different perspectives and talents are not only welcome but valued.

Contact Person: Lauren Pabst

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