--- title: 'Engineering Lead, Orbit Determination at ICEYE' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/engineering-lead-orbit-determination-iceye-espoo-ctt2zghevny0' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-10' --- # Engineering Lead, Orbit Determination at ICEYE - **Company:** [ICEYE](https://feeny.ai/companies/iceye) - **Location:** Espoo - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** hybrid - **Posted:** 2026-04-14 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-10 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/iceye/c7cf51bc-0164-45cd-a5d9-53f1e4f77845/application **Skills:** Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud environments, On-prem environments, Software engineering practices, Deployment, Observability, Release processes, Flight dynamics, State estimation, Data science, Orbital dynamics > Lead a multidisciplinary team of 4-10 engineers to deliver accurate and reliable orbit determination software and services for satellite operations. Own delivery, roadmap alignment, and continuous improvement of capabilities while mentoring staff and collaborating with stakeholders. ## Job description Role highlights: - Engineering Lead - Orbit Determination - Location: Espoo - Department: Spacecraft Analysis, Orbit and Attitude Control / Engineering - Reports to: Engineering Manager, AOCS - Employment type: Permanent - Workplace model: Hybrid - Employment is subject to applicable security screening (incl. SUPO, where required) Why this role matters: As an Engineering Lead - Orbit Determination, you’ll lead a small (4-10 people) multidisciplinary team responsible for delivering accurate and reliable orbit determination capabilities that underpin ICEYE’s satellite operations. Your work ensures timely and precise satellite position data, enabling mission-critical systems such as image acquisition, planning, ground station communications, and on-orbit collision avoidance. ## Who We Are 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. Designed for dual use, the platform also serves civil protection and commercial users for natural-catastrophe intelligence, insurance, maritime monitoring (including oil-spill detection), and finance, contributing to global security and community resilience. ICEYE is headquartered in Finland and operates globally across Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. We have more than 900 employees, united by a shared vision: improving life on Earth by becoming the global source of truth in Earth Observation. ## Your day-to-day responsibilities - Lead and develop a multidisciplinary team delivering orbit determination software and services - Own delivery, prioritization, and roadmap alignment in collaboration with product and domain stakeholders - Drive continuous improvement of orbit determination capabilities including accuracy, latency, and scalability - Support team growth through mentoring, hiring, and effective workload distribution aligned with individual strengths ## What we’re looking for Must haves: - Proven experience leading multidisciplinary teams delivering complex software systems - Strong understanding of modern software engineering practices including deployment, observability, and release processes - Experience with cloud and on-prem environments using technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes - Ability to communicate effectively across deep technical domains and scalable software systems - Interest in understanding high-level fundamentals of orbital dynamics to understand constraints they impose on the software system Nice to haves: - Experience working on systems with strong theoretical components such as flight dynamics, state estimation, or data science - Understanding of orbital dynamics - Track record of hiring and developing engineers across different career stages Application Process - Talent Attraction Screening (remote) - Hiring Manager Interview (remote) - Take-home technical task and panel interview (remote) - System thinking workshop (on-site) - Behavioural interview to assess cultural fit (on-site) Working at ICEYE At ICEYE, you’ll join a diverse and highly engaged team united by the ambition to make the impossible possible. As a global scale-up, we combine speed and ambition with the opportunity to take real ownership from day one. Your growth, wellbeing, and success are a priority, with continuous professional development, training opportunities, and a culture where collaboration is how we win. ## How We Work (Our Values) Make the impossible possible: We set ambitious goals and stay calm under pressure. We bring grit, optimism, and ownership when things get hard, and we keep moving until we find a way. - Be curious: Go deep, ask questions, listen carefully, and think critically. Understand the “why” behind decisions. - See the big picture: Stay close to what’s happening across the company so you can make better decisions. Consider how your work affects others. - Drive effective teamwork: Create psychological safety, invite different perspectives, and build inclusive teams. There are no bad questions. - Act as one team: We win together. We match tasks to the right owner and stay agile as priorities shift. - Have fun: What we do matters—and it should be enjoyable. Celebrate progress, take pride in results, and share the wins. ## Benefits Our benefits are designed to support your health and wellbeing, at work and beyond. We keep improving them based on employee feedback, and offerings vary by location. Talent Acquisition will confirm what applies for this role and location during the process. Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion We want ICEYE to be a place where people can be themselves and do great work. Different backgrounds and perspectives make us stronger, which is why we work to create an environment where people feel included, respected, and able to speak up. Whatever your background, we want you to bring your authentic self to the table. We’re committed to fair, inclusive hiring and equal opportunity. Everyone is welcome to apply. If you need any adjustments or support during the recruitment process, tell us—we’ll do our best to help. Apply now to start your ICEYE journey, and help us continue to make the impossible possible together. Read more about ICEYE and working with us athttp://iceye.com[iceye.com](http://iceye.com). ## About ICEYE ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: ICEYE builds and operates the world’s largest synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite constellation, delivering persistent, day-and-night, all-weather Earth observation data and sovereign intelligence capabilities to governments and commercial customers. - **Entity Type**: Private (raised over €1B in total funding, latest round led by a €1B funding announcement) - **Headquarters**: Espoo, Finland - **Founded**: 2014 - **Founders**: Rafal Modrzewski (CEO) and Pekka Laurila (Chief Strategy Officer) ## Core Business - **Primary industry/industries**: Space & Satellite Technology, Earth Observation, Defense & Intelligence, Insurance, Natural Disaster Response, Environmental Monitoring - **Target customers**: B2G (governments, defense, intelligence agencies), B2B (insurance companies, emergency management, environmental agencies, commercial enterprises) - **Mission or purpose statement**: “We enable fast decisions that contribute to a safer future.” ICEYE believes in unlocking the potential of SAR data to make it more accessible for governments, companies, organizations, and people. ## Products & Services - **SAR Satellite Constellation**: The world’s largest and most advanced synthetic aperture radar satellite constellation, providing imagery and data in any weather, day or night, with daily and sub-daily revisit times. - **Sovereign Intelligence Systems**: ICEYE offers governments the ability to operate their own dedicated constellation as a sovereign system, providing proven capability for defense and national security. - **Government Solutions – Flood Insights & Wildfire Insights**: Near real-time building-level impact assessments that blend SAR data with damage analysis, enabling emergency teams to quickly assess damage, deploy resources, and improve recovery outcomes. - **Natural Catastrophe Solutions for Insurance**: Building-level data enabling insurers to rapidly evaluate risks and respond effectively to floods, wildfires, and other extreme events. - **Defense & National Security Intelligence**: Actionable intelligence for strategic responses to emerging threats, empowering nations to safeguard their people and national interests. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed - **Key Metric**: Total Funding raised — over **€1 billion** (as of the latest funding round, which ICEYE describes as a €1B funding round leading a new era of sovereign intelligence from space). Additionally, ICEYE secured a **€300 million revolving credit facility** to support continued growth. - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Not fully detailed in provided sources, but the company has closed multiple large funding rounds and credit facilities from institutional investors. Key partners include governments in defense, intelligence, insurance, and emergency management across Finland, Poland, Spain, Germany, the UK, Australia, Japan, the UAE, Greece, and the US. - **Growth Signals**: - Over **1,000 employees** globally, from more than 45 (or 75) nationalities. - Offices across Finland, Poland, Spain, Germany, the UK, Australia, Japan, the UAE, Greece, and the US. - Appointed **Eric Jensen** as Chief Operating Officer. - ISO 27001:2022 (information security) and ISO 9001:2015 (quality management) certified. - Satellites can be launch-ready within 15–24 months, enabling rapid constellation expansion. ## Competitive Advantages - **World’s largest SAR constellation**: Unmatched scale and revisit frequency (daily/sub-daily) compared to competitors. - **All-weather, day/night capability**: SAR technology pierces through clouds, smoke, and darkness, providing reliable data regardless of conditions. - **Sovereign offering**: Unique ability to sell entire constellations as sovereign systems to governments, creating deep, long-term partnerships. - **Proven commercial traction**: Deep integration with insurance and emergency management workflows, delivering quantifiable, building-level impact assessments. - **Strong certifications**: ISO 27001:2022 and ISO 9001:2015 provide customer assurance on security and quality. - **Speed to orbit**: Small, agile satellites enable rapid deployment (15–24 months from order to launch), a key differentiator in the space industry. ## Strategic Focus - **Scaling the constellation**: Continuing to expand the SAR satellite fleet to improve revisit times and global coverage. - **Sovereign intelligence**: Growing the “constellation-as-a-service” model for governments seeking independent space-based intelligence capabilities. - **Natural catastrophe resilience**: Deepening partnerships with insurers and emergency management agencies to improve community resilience and disaster response. - **National security**: Enhancing defense and intelligence offerings for governments worldwide. - **Global expansion**: Growing regional presence and operations across Europe, Asia-Pacific, North America, and the Middle East. - **Commercial diversification**: Expanding into new verticals beyond defense and insurance, such as environmental monitoring and critical infrastructure. ## Why Work Here - **Mission-driven impact**: Employees work on challenges that matter — enabling faster disaster response, protecting communities, and strengthening national security. - **Fast-paced ownership culture**: “At ICEYE, you take ownership early. You move fast, solve hard problems, and work alongside driven experts who care deeply about impact.” — ICEYE Careers page. - **Multicultural & diverse**: Colleagues from over 45 (or 75) nationalities, creating a truly international “NewSpace” environment. - **Values-driven**: Culture built on curiosity, collaboration, acting as one, seeing the big picture, driving effective teamwork, and having fun. - **Hybrid & remote flexibility**: Many roles are hybrid (combining office time with remote work), and some are fully remote within specific countries or time zones. Exact setup depends on the role and team. - **Benefits**: - Occupational healthcare, occupational and accident insurance - Time for self-development, research, training, conferences, or certification schemes - Relocation support (flight tickets, accommodation, relocation agency) - Yearly benefit budget (sport, transport, bike, wellness, lunch, etc.) - Inspiring office spaces with silent workspaces for focus - **Growth & learning**: Opportunity to work across engineering, software, data, product, and business roles — space/aerospace background not required for many positions as long as core skills are strong. - **Recruitment process**: Transparent and structured — recruiter call, hiring manager deep-dive, technical task (for relevant roles), team collaboration conversation, leadership discussion, and offer. Relocation and visa support available for most roles. ## Sources 1. [iceye.com](https://www.iceye.com/company) — Company overview, leadership, certifications, mission 2. [iceye.com](https://www.iceye.com/careers) — Careers page, culture, benefits, values 3. [iceye.com](https://www.iceye.com/careers/recruitment) — Recruitment FAQ, hybrid/remote policy, interview process 4. [iceye.com](https://www.iceye.com/) — Homepage, news on €1B funding, €300M credit facility, COO appointment ## Other roles at ICEYE - [Workplace Space Planner](https://feeny.ai/job/workplace-space-planner-iceye-espoo-15a4zw6b97bv) — Espoo - [Workplace Experience Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/workplace-experience-specialist-iceye-espoo-j5c2nhtgtzgh) — Espoo - [Forward Deployed Backend/DevOps Engineer, Portugal](https://feeny.ai/job/forward-deployed-backend-devops-engineer-portugal-iceye-lisbon-gt607jj2hb68) — Lisbon, Portugal - [Program Director - UAE](https://feeny.ai/job/program-director-uae-iceye-united-arab-emirates-vf9sk9xp581p) — United Arab Emirates - [Head of Strategic Operations](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-strategic-operations-iceye-lisbon-ece7zxhd5rb8) — Lisbon, Portugal - [EHS Senior Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/ehs-senior-specialist-iceye-valencia-4p37tycb1ecr) — Valencia - [Software AIT Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/software-ait-engineer-iceye-valencia-082hs1nf7wee) — Valencia - [RF, Satellite Systems & Software Production Team Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/rf-satellite-systems-software-production-team-lead-iceye-valencia-mg3sd96atkkc) — Valencia - [Warehouse / Logistics Operator](https://feeny.ai/job/warehouse-logistics-operator-iceye-warsaw-z1g5grp4tjz8) — Warsaw, Poland - [Facility & Lab Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/facility-lab-manager-iceye-warsaw-5mapw645f2z5) — Warsaw, Poland