Ground Operations Engineer

Thorn SDS Ltd•Darmstadt, IN

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Thorn SDS is a specialist Managed Service Provider dedicated to helping technology-driven organisations and professionals succeed in some of the world’s most demanding environments—Space, UK Defence, and Security. We are seeking an experienced Ground Station Operations Engineer to support spacecraft ground segment operations within the ESOC/ESTRACK environment. The role covers the end-to-end ground station chain, combining RF communications, TT&C operations, station configuration, testing, performance analysis and incident investigation.

Requirements

Minimum 3 years' experience with end-to-end ground station systems supporting spacecraft operations.
Strong understanding of RF communications and ground station architecture, including: Antennas and RF front-end equipment, Back-end TT&C systems, Space-to-ground communications, Link budgets, Modulation, coding, polarisation and frequency bands
Knowledge of CCSDS SLE and PUS standards.
Experience with ground station performance monitoring, log analysis and incident investigation.
Experience with RF subsystem testing and/or operational validation.
Ability to work independently in a technical operational environment.
Fluent English, written and spoken.

Nice To Haves

Previous experience with ESA, ESOC Operations Infrastructure and/or ESTRACK.
Mission Control Systems and associated data-exchange interfaces.
Link-budget analysis using LBTE.
NDIU configuration, testing and validation.
Software-Defined Radio (SDR) solutions.
CubeSat and small-satellite ground systems.
Hands-on RF/laboratory test equipment experience.
Virtual machine management and firewall administration.
Experience leading ground-station-specific critical operations.
Class A Amateur Radio Certification for ESOC-2/Reindeer antenna operations.

Responsibilities

Support setup, configuration, maintenance and operation of ground station systems.
Support TT&C and Delta-DOR services, including spacecraft pass operations and TM/TC quality analysis.
Perform ground station incident investigation, troubleshooting and performance analysis.
Analyse station log files, verify performance against requirements and document results.
Support station planning, tailoring, configuration, testing and validation.
Coordinate ground station subsystem upgrades and operational deployments across ESTRACK.
Support setup, validation and execution of critical ground station operations.
Produce technical documentation and work closely with mission teams and technical customers.