The European Space Agency (ESA) is recruiting a User Terminals – Spectrum and Signals Officer for its IRIS² Integrated Programme Team, with a resident assignment in Brussels, Belgium.
The position focuses on user-terminal development, spectrum access, signal definition and the implementation of the 5G standardisation roadmap within the EU Secure Connectivity Programme.
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The vacancy is open to both internal and external applicants and carries a four-year appointment that can be extended to indefinite, with the advertised grade band of A2–A4. The application deadline is 24 September 2026 at 23:59 CET/CEST.
ESA User Terminals – Spectrum and Signals Officer: Key Details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Organisation | European Space Agency (ESA) |
| Position | User Terminals – Spectrum and Signals Officer |
| Programme | IRIS² Integrated Programme Team |
| Directorate | Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity |
| Workplace | Brussels, Belgium |
| Primary ESA location | ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands |
| Resident assignment | Brussels until Q1 2028, with possible extension |
| Grade band | A2–A4 |
| Appointment | 4 years, extendable to indefinite |
| Job Requisition ID | 20850 |
| Date posted | 3 September 2026 |
| Closing date | 24 September 2026, 23:59 CET/CEST |
| Publication | Internal & External |
| Required education | Master’s degree in a relevant field, or bachelor’s degree with additional experience |
| Languages | Good knowledge of English or French required |
| Security | Eligible for security clearance required |
The role is formally based at ESTEC in Noordwijk, Netherlands, while the selected candidate will have a resident assignment in Brussels. ESA states that the Brussels assignment is planned until Q1 2028, with the possibility of extension; afterwards, the successful candidate will be reassigned to a position within the Directorate of Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity.
What is the role responsible for?
This is a technical programme role connected to IRIS², the European Union’s Secure Connectivity Programme. The programme is intended to develop an EU satellite-based, multiorbital communications infrastructure for governmental use, integrating and complementing existing and future national and European capabilities associated with GOVSATCOM. ESA and the European Commission have established an Integrated Programme Team to manage the programme and coordinate activities related to the IRIS² concession contract.
The officer will report functionally to the Engineering/R&D Manager of the Integrated Programme Team and hierarchically to the head of the ESA Secure Connectivity System Office. A central part of the job is ensuring the timely delivery of user terminals needed for governmental services, alongside responsibility for spectrum access, signal definition and the 5G standardisation roadmap.
The successful candidate will also work with ESA on industrial activities involving the development and validation of user terminals and contribute to building EU industrial capability in this area.
Main responsibilities include:
- Coordinating with ESA offices responsible for secure connectivity, ground segments and operations.
- Supporting the development of EU engineering, manufacturing and supply-chain capabilities.
- Ensuring the availability of specified user terminals under the programme’s expected economic conditions.
- Managing activities involving spectrum, signals, including 5G, and IRIS² user terminals.
- Maintaining technology and subsystem roadmaps for the user segment.
- Contributing to programme scheduling, risk management, configuration control and cost planning.
- Monitoring performance against programme targets and proposing corrective measures where required.
- Reviewing user-segment changes, waivers, deviations, non-conformances, anomalies and alerts.
- Maintaining the user-segment development and deployment plan, schedule and risk register.
- Overseeing risk and security-management processes at user-segment level.
- Participating in system and ground-segment reviews concerning terminals, spectrum and signal definition.
- Working closely with other IPT officers and the Security Team.
What experience does ESA require?
Applicants need a strong technical background in system and/or user-terminal design, development and validation, including signal definition. ESA also requires strong expertise in spectrum regulatory matters and processes. Experience with large space programmes or projects is expected, ideally in telecommunications.
The vacancy also places considerable emphasis on programme and industrial management. Relevant experience includes setting up and managing teams of technical specialists, monitoring industrial activities, conducting technical and contractual negotiations, managing technical reviews, and controlling industrial activities from cost and schedule perspectives. Knowledge of space-system architecture, technical requirements and ground and in-orbit validation is also required.
Experience with product assurance and safety standards and complex project risk-management processes is also listed among the technical competencies.
Education and professional experience requirements
A master’s degree in a relevant field, such as physics, satellite communications or aerospace, is required, together with, in principle, six years of relevant professional experience.
Candidates with a bachelor’s degree plus an additional four years of relevant professional experience may also be considered. ESA notes that recruitment is normally within the A2–A4 grade band, although an A1 appointment may apply if the selected candidate has fewer than four years of relevant professional experience after completing a master’s degree.
Experience with a commercial telecommunications company or operator is desirable, as is experience working in secure environments or on secure projects.
Other qualities ESA is looking for
Technical expertise is only part of the profile. ESA says candidates should be able to handle pressure and conflict in a project environment, set priorities, present practical solutions and deal proactively with challenging situations.
The vacancy also highlights stakeholder management and ambassadorship, including the ability to maintain relationships with Member States or national delegations. Candidates must also be eligible for security clearance through their national security administration.
The behavioural competencies identified for the role are Result Orientation, Operational Efficiency, Fostering Cooperation, Relationship Management, Continuous Improvement and Forward Thinking.
Nationality, language and security requirements
This is an important eligibility point. ESA states that applications will only be considered from nationals of the listed eligible states: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Canada, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia.
A good knowledge of English or French is required because these are the Agency’s working languages. Knowledge of another Member State language is considered an asset.
Applicants must also be eligible to access information, technology and hardware covered by European or US export-control and sanctions regulations, in addition to meeting the security-clearance requirements. ESA may ask applicants to complete selection tests, while successful candidates will undergo basic screening before appointment through an external background-screening service operating under ESA’s security procedures.
When does the ESA application close?
The closing date for the User Terminals – Spectrum and Signals Officer vacancy is Thursday, 24 September 2026 at 23:59 CET/CEST. The vacancy was posted on 3 September 2026 and is published for both internal and external applicants.
Applicants should pay particular attention to the nationality, professional-experience, language and security-clearance conditions before applying. The combination of technical satellite-communications expertise, spectrum knowledge, industrial management and programme-level responsibilities makes this a specialist professional appointment rather than an entry-level vacancy.