Ground Segment Engineer

Apply now »

Posting Start Date: 13 Mar 2026

Location: Noordwijk, NL

Company: Serco Plc

Introduction

Serco is a leading Space Services Provider with thousands of skilled resources that has supported over 50 space missions on behalf of more than 10 Space or Government agencies around the globe, including the ESA and NASA. Serco offers space capability across the full space lifecycle from satellite testing to Launch services, LEOP to spacecraft operations, space surveillance to data management, and supporting downstream application development. 

With this in mind, we are seeking a European-based Ground Qualification engineer who is responsible for supporting the definition, integration, verification, validation, and qualification of the ground segment, ensuring it meets all technical, operational, and regulatory requirements.

You would have the opportunity to plan and support integration activities and test campaigns, define verification and validation strategies, acceptance criteria, and requirement traceability, and ensure that acceptance milestones are properly executed and documented. You would coordinate complex multi‑component system integration across hardware, software, and operations, manage interfaces and integration risks, and drive anomaly investigation and resolution in a structured and traceable manner. Acting as a key technical interface between system engineering, operations, and industry, you would also supports audits, certification activities, and stakeholder coordination to demonstrate full ground segment compliance and readiness for service.

Your Mission

  • Provide ground system engineering support for the definition and execution of integration, verification, validation, and qualification (IVVQ) strategies for the ground segment.
  • Support ground segment integration activities and test campaigns, ensuring coherence across hardware, software, and operational elements.
  • Plan, coordinate, and ensure execution of acceptance milestones, including proper preparation, witnessing, and documentation.
  • Define and manage integration strategies for complex multi‑component systems, identifying interfaces, managing dependencies, and mitigating integration risks early.
  • Define Verification and Validation plans, acceptance criteria, requirements traceability, and test strategies at system, subsystem, and component levels.
  • Manage test execution activities, assess compliance against requirements, and structure objective evidence to support acceptance and qualification.
  • Interpret applicable standards and regulations and design qualification approaches demonstrating system conformity.
  • Prepare and maintain qualification and acceptance documentation supporting regulatory, customer, and programme needs.
  • Interface with auditors, certification bodies, and external stakeholders during qualification and acceptance processes.
  • Coordinate stakeholders across engineering, operations, suppliers, and customers to ensure aligned qualification activities.
  • Drive anomaly, deviation, and non‑conformance investigations, leading reviews, and ensuring issues are resolved in a structured and traceable manner.
  • Assess industry deliverables related to ground segment integration and qualification against technical and programmatic expectations.
  • Produce regular progress and activity reports demonstrating qualification support and status.

What You'll Bring

  • Proven experience in ground segment IVVQ activities covering system, subsystem, and component levels.
  • Ability to define and execute integration strategies for complex hardware, software, and operational systems.
  • Strong competence in planning and managing verification, validation, and qualification campaigns.
  • Demonstrated capability to establish acceptance criteria and maintain end‑to‑end requirements traceability.
  • Experience producing and reviewing test plans, procedures, reports, and qualification evidence.
  • Solid understanding of applicable standards and the ability to translate them into compliant qualification approaches.
  • Capability to assess supplier deliverables and provide structured technical feedback during reviews.
  • Proven skills in anomaly, deviation, and non‑conformance analysis and resolution to closure.
  • Ability to coordinate multidisciplinary stakeholders and act as a technical focal point for qualification activities.
  • Strong documentation and reporting discipline, delivering clear, auditable, and decision‑oriented outputs.
Technical:
  • Work experience in the Space domain will be an asset
  • MSc, or equivalent qualification, in a relevant technical or scientific discipline will be an asset
  • Need to be an EU national and eligible to obtain EU Personal Security Clearance.
  • Requires travel (approx. 20 European business trips per year)
Personality:
  • Effective management of self with a track record of involvement in change in complex and demanding environments, interacting with individuals at all levels of the organization 
  • Methodical and proactive, with initiative and capability to work autonomously
  • Problem-solving and a creativity-oriented attitude
  • ⁠Excellent communication skills, including relationship development and stakeholder management;

What We Offer: More Than Just a Job

At Serco, we believe that a career should come with more than just a paycheck, it should provide support, security and a sense of balance in your life. Your salary will be paid promptly on Fridays before the 28th of each month, giving you peace of mind about your finances. 


We support your daily life and commute in practical ways. If you travel to work, you can claim a travel allowance of €0.21 per kilometre for up to 150 km, or you can have your public transport fully reimbursed. For those working from home, there’s a small daily allowance of €2 to cover extra costs and new employees can be reimbursed up to €500 for a desk or chair to make their home workspace comfortable.

When your work takes you on missions or travel, all business-related expenses are fully covered and for peace of mind during tax season, our appointed advisor will assist you in completing your income tax forms. If you enjoy cycling, our bicycle scheme allows you to benefit from a tax-efficient allowance of up to €749, one year of full insurance with an additional €89 per year for accessories.

Serco also cares about your long-term security. All employees are covered under a collective life insurance scheme and our health insurance partnership with Zilverenkruis Achmea offers discounts of 5% on basic coverage and up to 10% on additional plans. Our company pension scheme, managed via Nationale Nederlanden, follows the Dutch State Pension framework, ensuring you can plan confidently for the future.

In addition, in emergency situations, you may request an advance salary payment of up to one month’s net salary at the discretion of your line manager. To support your wellbeing and daily work, we offer up to €250 reimbursement for work glasses to reduce blue light strain and provide access to Benefits & Work, offering multiple discounts for online shopping. For lifelong learning, all employees receive a 35% discount on programs at Webster University.

At Serco, our benefits are designed to make your life easier, healthier and more flexible, so you can focus on contributing to groundbreaking space missions while feeling supported every step of the way. 

Relocation

The Netherlands' central location in Europe makes it an ideal base for travel and business within the EU. Major cities are well-connected by road, rail and air with Amsterdam Schiphol Airport one of Europe's busiest and most well-connected airports, facilitating easy international travel.

Serco offers relocation support for all EU passport holders that are planning to relocate to the Netherlands and work for Serco B.V.