IVV Engineer

Introduction

Serco is a trusted leader in Space Services, with a proud history spanning over 55 years and a track record of supporting more than 50 space missions for world-renowned agencies like ESA and NASA. Our expertise covers the entire space lifecycle—from satellite testing and launch services to spacecraft operations, space surveillance, and data management—making us a key partner in advancing national strategies and driving innovation in the New Space era.

We are currently searching for an IVV Engineer to join our international team in Rome and work on a full time, permanent position with hybrid working style and excellent opportunities for career progress. The position is framed within the Serco Copernicus Services, unit responsible for supporting all Copernicus Sentinels missions in the provision of operations, maintenance and coordination services.

The Community You Will Join

You will work in an international, diverse team, surrounded by top-tier scientists, engineers, and technical experts who inspire and challenge you every day. You’ll have ongoing opportunities to grow through specialized training and professional development tailored to the space sector, all while being part of a company that genuinely values work-life balance, mutual respect, and a shared commitment to excellence. As you contribute to innovative projects and mission-critical systems, you’ll gain hands-on exposure to cutting-edge technologies and collaborate closely with major space agencies, becoming part of something truly extraordinary.

The Difference You Will Make

You will contribute directly to some of Europe’s most exciting space programmes, from Earth observation and climate monitoring to satellite navigation and space safety. Your work will play a vital role in ensuring mission success, enabling better decision-making on Earth and driving innovation in orbit. Whether you’re helping managing spacecraft operations, analysing mission data, or supporting software and systems development, your expertise will help move Europe’s space ambitions forward.

Your Mission

You will contribute to the integration and maintenance of services within the Copernicus Space Ecosystem, supporting the introduction of new tools, services, and interfaces into operational environments. You will be involved in maintenance and integration activities throughout the full lifecycle, including the design phase, technical team follow-up, participation in testing campaigns, and support to the Transfer to Operations. You will coordinate end-to-end system integration, ensuring that multiple systems and components will work seamlessly together and remain fully compatible with mission-specific operations and tools. You will oversee the integration of new services and interfaces while coordinating these activities to ensure minimal service degradation and avoid interruptions to ongoing operations. You will coordinate validation tests with service providers, overseeing their execution to ensure that all integrated systems will meet operational and functional requirements. In addition, you will perform internal Integration, Verification, and Validation (IVV) activities by conducting validation tests on service system elements and following up on the maintenance processes of the components involved. You will monitor the integration process and identify and resolve any integration issues that arise, helping to ensure operational continuity and minimal downtime. You will also maintain detailed documentation of integration procedures, including the workflows, tools, and techniques used throughout the process. Throughout all phases of integration and validation, you will collaborate closely with development and operations teams to ensure smooth system integration, timely validation, and reliable transition of services into operations.

What You Bring to the Mission

You will bring strong problem-solving and analytical skills, allowing you to interpret complex mission data and respond effectively to technical and operational challenges. You will apply proven organizational abilities to manage complex workflows and support seamless collaboration across teams, while working independently and prioritizing tasks efficiently to meet deadlines and operational demands. You will use Atlassian tools in your daily activities, including Jira for action management and issue or anomaly tracking, and Confluence for documentation and knowledge sharing. You will rely on strong communication and mediation skills to coordinate effectively with multiple stakeholders, and you will demonstrate the ability to produce clear technical documentation such as test procedures, reports, system design documents, and interface control documents. You will operate comfortably in an international environment with English proficiency at B2 (Upper-Intermediate) level, both written and spoken. In addition, you will contribute experience in coordinating activities across multiple services, entities, and stakeholders, and in planning, scheduling, and tracking operational tasks within distributed teams. You will ideally bring hands-on experience with Integration, Verification, and Validation (IV&V) activities, particularly in software testing, along with knowledge of Linux/Unix environments and basic scripting. Experience in aerospace projects—especially those related to Earth Observation systems or satellite missions—will be an advantage, as will familiarity with ITIL and Agile methodologies for service management and project execution, and knowledge of the Copernicus programme. Additional valuable skills will include understanding of system engineering processes such as ECSS standards, experience with cloud infrastructure, familiarity with programming languages such as Python, and knowledge of containerized applications (e.g., Docker), databases including relational and NoSQL solutions (e.g., PostgreSQL, Solr), and Identity and Access Management tools such as Keycloak.

What We Offer: More Than Just a Job

At Serco, we believe your career should come with more than a payslip, it should come with peace of mind, flexibility, and opportunities to thrive. That’s why we’ve built a benefits package designed to support you and your family, both inside and outside of work.

Here, you’ll find more than just a job—you’ll step into a place where your long-term growth is planned and supported through a clear career path and continuous training opportunities that help you evolve with confidence. You can enjoy the freedom of a hybrid working style, complemented by full health and life insurance that brings peace of mind to you and your loved ones. And as an added perk, you’ll benefit from exclusive discounts at selected shops, making everyday life a little more rewarding while you build your future with us.