About the role
Role highlights: Role: Engineering Manager - New Satellite Build & Qualification Department: Optical Systems Location: Warsaw, Poland Reports to : Director of Engineering Working type: Hybrid Employment is subject to applicable security screening (incl. SUPO, where required) The Mission of the Engineering Manager - New Satellite Build & Qualification In this role, you'll own the end-to-end execution of prototype satellite builds — from first subsystem assembly through functional and environmental qualification — and ensure each new generation reaches orbital readiness. You'll also partner with the Global Manufacturing Organization to transfer mature designs and assembly procedures, enabling reliable, scaled production across multiple sites. Who are we? ICEYE delivers space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities to governments and allied nations. This includes sovereign and turnkey ISR missions leveraging ICEYE's world-leading synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite technology, as well as access to data from the world's largest SAR satellite constellation. These capabilities enable partners to detect and respond to critical changes anywhere on Earth with unprecedented speed and accuracy – day or night and in any weather, supported by ultra high-resolution imagery and high-frequency revisits. As a trusted partner for defense, intelligence, security, and maritime domain awareness, ICEYE's near real-time data creates a tactical advantage for mission-critical operations. ICEYE operates internationally with offices in Finland, Poland, Spain, Japan, the UAE, Greece, Germany, and the US. The company has more than 900 employees, inspired by the shared vision of improving life on Earth by becoming the global source of truth in Earth Observation. Day to day
responsibilities: Build
the team. Hire, lead, and grow a multidisciplinary team of engineers and technicians responsible for building and qualifying new subsystem and satellite generations. Hiring great people is a core part of the job, not a side hustle. Own the build schedule end-to-end. Plan and execute prototype satellite builds, drive milestones, anticipate slips, and balance engineering rigor with aggressive timelines. Run the full qualification campaign — functional testing, environmental testing (thermal-vacuum, vibration), and any sensor-specific verification — until the satellite is flight-ready. Stand up the test infrastructure your team will depend on. Define, source, and build out the GSE, fixtures, harnesses, and test facilities needed to qualify each new generation. Lead fast, rigorous problem-solving. When something fails on the bench or in the chamber, you're the one driving root-cause analysis and corrective actions — and feeding the lessons back into the design. Drive design maturity, manufacturability, and testability before handover to Global Manufacturing. Lead the transfer to Manufacturing. Hand over design data packages, work instructions, tooling, and assembly procedures to Global Manufacturing sites, and support them through first-article production and ramp-up. Adapt and build out the build and qualification playbook for this product line — borrowing from what already works elsewhere in the company, and improving as we scale. Report progress, risks, and key metrics clearly to senior leadership and program stakeholders.
