Mission Ops Engineer - Mission Planning & Payload Engineering (IRIS2)

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Job Overview

We are seeking a highly skilled Mission Ops Engineer to join the Service & Operations (S&O) department for the IRIS2 programme. This unique role merges the critical domains of Mission Planning and Payload Engineering. Before the start of active operations, you will play a pivotal role in the preparatory phase (engineering of operations). You will define systems, tools, and operational processes, participate in milestone reviews, and ensure rigorous validation before transitioning into active operations at the Toulouse Control Centre to ensure optimal payload configuration and daily mission plan execution.

Who You Are:

• A versatile space professional with deep knowledge of satellite mission planning and payload subsystems.
• An analytical thinker capable of translating complex service requirements into actionable payload configurations and operational timelines.
• A proactive engineer comfortable transitioning from a design and engineering mindset to real-time active operations.
• A collaborative team member used to work closely with flight dynamics, service delivery, and system engineering teams.

Which Team You’ll join:

• Will be part of the Mission Control Centre (MCC) at the Ground Control Centre in Toulouse.
• Will liaise with the Service Management Centre (SMC) for resources planning and scheduling and with the Satellite Constellation Control Centre (S3C) for platform and payload operations coordination.

What You’ll Do:

• Engineering of Operations & mission preparation: Actively participate in the preparatory phase prior to service launch. Produce documentation deliverables, participate in program and segment milestones, follow the integration and the segments/systems verification, and design and validate Payload operational procedures and processes. Coordination with the Constellation team in charge of the design and validation of the Platform procedures.
• Support transition into active operation: participate and contribute to training and operational qualification campaigns. Support E2E, Infrastructure and Service qualifications campaigns. 
• Mission Planning & Resource Optimization: Design and implement the mission planning workflow,
  • Configuring orchestrator resources (satellites, gateways, and networks) to answer OSS requests and optimize link budget throughout the mission.
  • Plan, execute, and report on real-time activities such as service activation/deactivation, frequency changes, and throughput upgrades.
  • Monitor and report on the MCC and satellite communication transport resources health and propose improvements to maximise system availability
  • Manage the Optical Inter-Satellite Link operations, in collaboration with Constellation Engineering
• Payload Management & Monitoring:
  • Managing daily mission schedules and payload commands
  • Oversee and report on payload health status, safety, and performance across the fleet. Prepare and support nominal and ah-hoc payload activities (relocations, retirements, In-Orbit Testing / IOT).
  • Lead anomaly troubleshooting and recovery in coordination with spacecraft controllers and manufacturers
• ITIL Process Definition & Authoring: Design, write, and maintain robust, ITIL-based operational processes (covering Incident, Problem, Change, and Request Fulfilment) tailored to Mission and payload operations.

What You’ll Need:

• Master’s degree in Telecommunications, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Proven experience in satellite operations, specifically covering Mission Planning/Scheduling and Payload Engineering/Operations within LEO or MEO systems
• Strong technical understanding of RF communications payloads, digital processors, and resource allocation algorithms.
• Good experience of Ground stations (Gateways)
• 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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