Systems Engineer (ISL Expert) - Space - DE
As an Optical Communications Systems Engineer at Helsing, you will be responsible for architecting, selecting, and integrating optical terminal payloads for our satellite constellations. Your role is crucial in ensuring that our satellites establish and maintain secure, high-bandwidth laser links with one another and compatible relay networks in Low Earth Orbit. Collaborating closely with our payload, spacecraft bus, and security teams, you will ensure that the optical terminals meet strict military performance and environmental constraints, directly contributing to our mission of providing sovereign capabilities to democratic societies.
Your key responsibilities will include defining the overall optical communications architecture for the SAR constellation, including terminal specifications, data routing concepts, and network topologies. You will perform detailed free-space optical (FSO) link budget calculations, atmospheric modeling (if applicable to ground links), and jitter analysis. Additionally, you will drive the requirements and verification for complex Pointing, Acquisition, and Tracking (PAT) subsystems, working closely with the Attitude Determination and Control Systems (ADCS) team to ensure the spacecraft bus can support precise optical pointing. Overseeing the physical and electrical integration of the Optical Inter-Satellite Link (OISL) terminals into the satellite bus, you will strictly manage Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) constraints. Acting as the primary technical interface with optical terminal manufacturers and vendors, you will evaluate Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) and custom solutions, lead design reviews, and oversee qualification testing. Furthermore, you will work alongside the Security Systems Engineering team to ensure the optical links meet stringent military Low Probability of Intercept/Low Probability of Detection (LPI/LPD) and cryptographic requirements.
The ideal candidate will have proven industry or academic experience specifically focused on Free-Space Optical (FSO) communications, laser physics, or optical payload integration for space applications. A deep understanding of optical transceivers, erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs), optical modulations (e.g., DPSK, OOK), and PAT control algorithms is essential. You should possess the ability to understand how the optical terminal impacts the rest of the spacecraft, including thermal loads, vibration, power consumption, and ADCS requirements. Familiarity with military space standards, space environmental testing (MIL-STD, ECSS, etc.), and interoperability standards (e.g., E-STOL) is highly desired. A degree in Physics, Optics/Photonics, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a closely related discipline is required. Excellent communication and social skills, with a proven ability to collaborate across multidisciplinary engineering teams and interface professionally with external suppliers, are also important.
Helsing offers a competitive salary and stock options (ESOP). We provide relocation support of up to €2,500 and four weeks of temporary accommodation. Employees receive a yearly learning allowance of €500/£450, as well as health and wellness benefits, including gym membership and mental health support through Nilo.health. We host regular company events and offer monthly social allowances. Enhanced parental leave is available, with 22 weeks fully paid for primary caregivers and six weeks for secondary caregivers. Family support includes five days of paid family emergency leave, a 100% remote work option during pregnancy, and a phased return to work.
Joining Helsing means working with world-leading experts in their fields. Our work is important, directly contributing to the protection of democratic countries while balancing both ethical and geopolitical concerns. We operate in a domain with highly unusual technical requirements and constraints, where robustness, safety, and ethical considerations are vital. You will face unique engineering and AI challenges that make a meaningful impact in the world. Our work frequently takes us right up to the state of the art in technical innovation, be it reinforcement learning, distributed systems, generative AI, or deployment infrastructure. The defense industry is entering the most exciting phase of the technological development curve, and Helsing is part of, and often leading, historic leaps forward. We actively encourage healthy, proactive, and diverse debate internally about what we do and how we choose to do it. Teams and individual engineers are trusted and encouraged to practice responsible autonomy and critical thinking, focusing on outcomes, not conformity. At Helsing, you will have a say in how we work, the opportunity to engage on what does and doesn't work, and to take ownership of aspects of our culture that you care deeply about.