Introduction
Led by Prof. Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen, ETH Zurich | Space brings together space-related research, education, and technology development across ETH Zurich. Collaborating with academic, industrial, and institutional partners, the initiative aims to develop new space missions, instruments, and technologies.
This position is offered as a fixed-term appointment for an initial period of two years, with the possibility of extension.
Project Background
The objective of this initiative is to establish and grow a centralized pool of space engineering expertise within ETH Zurich | Space. This pool supports ETH Zurich-led space projects and technology programs, strengthening the university's role in the Swiss and international space ecosystem.
The Flight Software Systems Engineer will support a diverse portfolio of small spacecraft, scientific instruments, robotic systems, and technology demonstrators. The work will include resource-constrained missions, integration with externally supplied spacecraft platforms, autonomous functions, and future distributed or coordinated spacecraft concepts. This role interfaces across systems engineering, avionics, payloads, and software development, and coordinates with external platform providers and mission operations teams.
Job Description
As part of the specialized resource pool, you will provide flight software and software systems engineering expertise across multiple ETH Zurich space projects. Your contributions will span from early mission formulation and software architecture to implementation, integration, verification, launch preparation, and operations.
Your Responsibilities
- Take technical ownership of assigned flight software developments and act as the primary software interface among systems engineers, avionics, payload teams, and mission operations.
- Translate mission concepts into spacecraft behaviors and define flight software architectures and functional decompositions.
- Allocate hardware-software functions, defining associated software requirements and interfaces.
- Translate mission and system requirements into software specifications, interface control documents, operational concepts, and verification plans.
- Develop embedded flight software in C and C++, along with supporting tools and test scripts (e.g., Python), including device drivers and onboard data management.
- Integrate flight software with onboard computers, sensors, actuators, payload electronics, and communication interfaces.
- Set up and maintain flat-sat flight software testbeds.
- Perform software-related trade studies covering processing capacity, memory, timing, and reliability.
- Establish and maintain software baselines, configuration control, versioning, automation, and requirements traceability.
- Develop and execute flight software unit tests, and conduct various verification and validation activities.
- Support spacecraft and payload assembly, integration, commissioning, telemetry analysis, and mission operations.
- Provide technical guidance to junior engineers, researchers, and student teams.
Your Profile
You have a strong background in embedded and real-time software development combined with systems-level experience in software architecture, requirements engineering, and integration. You are comfortable working across various domains related to missions, spacecraft, avionics, payloads, software, and operations.
We are looking for someone with:
- A Master’s degree in computer science, electrical engineering, computer engineering, aerospace engineering, robotics, or a related field.
- 5+ years of professional experience in flight software or mission-critical software systems.
- Strong programming skills in C and C++. Experience with real-time operating systems is preferred.
- Experience in software systems engineering, including requirement management and interface control.
- Expertise in integrating flight software with hardware, sensors, and communication buses.
- Hands-on experience with software integration, debugging, automated testing, and hardware environments.
- Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills, and the ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams.
- Excellent command of English; knowledge of German is a plus.
What We Offer
A dynamic, international, and interdisciplinary work environment at one of the world’s leading technical universities. Join a motivated team that shares a passion for space, science, and engineering while contributing to exciting space missions.
Apply
If you are interested in this position, please apply online using the form below. Note that only applications matching the job profile will be considered.