Flight Dynamics Lead Engineer - Service & Operations (IRIS2)

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Job Overview

We are seeking an experienced and analytical Flight Dynamics Lead Engineer to join the S&O department for the IRIS2 programme. Before the start of active operations, you will be heavily involved in the engineering of operations, defining specifications for operability, following on the procurement of the flight dynamics tools and software, participating in program milestones, planning flight dynamics process and procedures, and organising training and qualification campaigns. As the operational phase starts, you will transition into the active operations phase overseeing flight dynamics activities, including orbital determination, manoeuvre planning, space traffic management, and coordinating operations across ground elements.

Who You Are:

• A seasoned space engineer with deep background in orbital mechanics, astrodynamics, and manoeuvre optimization and strong leadership skills.
• A proactive leader capable of providing oversight and coordination to a multidisciplinary team of flight dynamics engineers.
• Capable of contributing to the flight dynamics operational requirements for the procurement of the flight dynamics tools and software. 
• Capable of driving critical decisions regarding collision avoidance, space traffic management, and cross-ground element anomaly resolutions.
• Comfortable transitioning from a system validation and engineering mindset to a real-time, active operations environment.

Which Team You’ll join:

• You will lead a Team of Flight Dynamics engineers in charge of the LEO and MEO IRIS2 constellation
• Will be part of the Satellite Constellation Control Centre (S3C) at the Ground Control Centre in Toulouse.

What You’ll Do:

• Operational Reviews & Milestone Support: Support all Operational Reviews and milestones, focusing particularly on ensuring operational readiness for the start of the operational phase.
• Ground Infrastructure Operability: Support the provision and review of specifications concerning the operability of all relevant ground infrastructure (such as S3C, TT&C, etc.). Participate actively in the operations procurement and technical evaluation of relevant ground infrastructure elements.
• Tool Configuration & Training Design: Contribute to the initial configuration of flight dynamics tools and operational data and prepare/execute training and operations qualification campaigns.
• Team Coordination & Leadership: Provide oversight and leadership to a team of Flight Dynamics engineers, assigning and distributing tasks to ensure smooth execution of daily operations.
• Anomaly Troubleshooting & Cross-Element Coordination: Coordinate closely with other ground element managers and satellite manufacturers in case of anomalies to ensure satisfactory troubleshooting and fleet health analysis.
• Continuous Improvement: Propose necessary improvements to flight dynamics operations and systems to maximize availability and contribute regular activity and operations reports.
• Orbit Determination & Space Traffic Management (STM): Assess and oversee the autonomous and manual computation of manoeuvres, including re-phasing, station-keeping, collision avoidance, and passivation/disposal manoeuvres. Perform precise orbit determination of all space assets, generate predictions, monitor collision probabilities, and coordinate with external satellite operators and EUSST/SSA providers.
• Mission Analysis: defines and validates the mission strategy and the orbit profiles, from Launch and separation to deorbiting.

What You’ll Need:

• Master’s degree in Aerospace engineering, Physics, or Mathematics with a specialization in orbital mechanics or flight dynamics.
• 10+ years of hands-on experience in flight dynamics software and operations for orbit determination and space traffic management protocols, with a strong preference for LEO or MEO constellations.
• Proven experience in leading and coordinating technical engineering teams within space operations environments.
• Working schedule capability for 5d/7 - 8h/d plus on-call support.
• Fluent in English with very good written and verbal communication skills.
• Security Clearance & Nationality: Candidate must be an EU-27 citizen and eligible for an EU security clearance, which is a strict requirement for this role.

Where You’ll Work:

• Base Location: Toulouse at the IRIS2 Control Centre.
• Travel & Relocation: Flexibility for travel and potential temporary relocations to support training, integration, and operations at other EU sites and control centres.

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