About this role
About the Role As a System Engineering Manager Predevelopment, you will take a leading role in shaping early phases of cutting-edge satellite missions. You will drive system engineering activities during Phase A/B1, provide technical leadership across specialist teams and subcontractors, and steer the definition of mission and system architecture. You will establish technical, programmatic, and schedule foundations to ensure mission success throughout the development lifecycle. What You'll Do
- Lead System Engineer for the Phase A/B1 study.
- Coordinate and oversee technical contributions from specialist engineering departments and subcontractors, ensuring coherence and quality.
- Perform and guide trade-offs and high-level analyses to shape the mission and system architecture.
- Lead the mission and system design, including deriving, validating, and maintaining requirements from mission to satellite down to subsystem level.
- Establish the satellite development approach to secure the targeted Technology Readiness Level (TRL) by the end of Phase B1.
- Contribute to the definition of the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) for phases B2, C/D, and E1 through in‑orbit commissioning.
- Support the development and consolidation of the programme plan for phases B2, C/D, and E1 up to in-orbit calibration and validation.
- Support and review the establishment of a project implementation schedule for the platform aligned with overall programme planning.
- Analyse and assess cost drivers, contributing to cost modelling and optimization strategies.
- Identify, evaluate, and help manage technical and programmatic risks related to cost, schedule, and technical feasibility.
- Plan and implement risk mitigation measures for the platform. What We're Looking For
- Master-level degree in aerospace engineering with a focus on space systems.
- Minimum 8 years of industry experience in space system engineering or satellite development.
- Strong competencies in space mission design, satellite systems engineering, and spacecraft subsystem design.
- Experience in requirements engineering for spacecraft subsystems and preparation of specifications.
- Familiarity with science, exploration, or space safety mission concepts.
- High level of flexibility and ability to work effectively in international, interdisciplinary teams.
- Strong ownership mindset, structured and proactive working approach, and strong sense of responsibility.
- Excellent communication, presentation, and documentation skills.
- Fluency in spoken and written (business) English. Nice to Have
- Significant experience working as a lead system engineer for Phase 0/A/B1 projects and proposals in industry or on institutional side.
- Hands-on experience with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) toolchains and methodologies.
- Fluency in German language is an advantage. Compensation & Benefits We offer Work Life Balance: Flexible working hours, sabbatical, 30 days vacation & special leave days. Mobile Work: Hybrid work & mobile work abroad. Structured on-boarding process (incl. Assignment of a buddy in the first months). Development: Extensive range of training courses, individual professional development, German language courses & annual employee dialogue space projects.
Additional benefits: 13. monthly salary, accident insurance & company pension plan. Catering: High standard company restaurant & generous meals subsidy. Active health promotion: Health management, E-GYM Wellpass & In-company sports groups. Family: Kindergarten subsidy / Kindergarten places, Childcare in the vacation period & paid child sickness days. Mobility: Subsidized Deutschland ticket, Job bike & parking lots. Company parties & events: Christmas party, Satellite launch events, NextGen Speakers Night. Innovation: Company suggestion system & free research and development.
A complete overview of our benefits and more details can be found here on our website. Become part of our international team and take your professional and personal development to a new level. Don't fulfil all the requirements? No problem - we are happy to receive applications with partial matches! We are looking forward to your application in German or English via our online tool. OHB System AG Human Resources