---
title: 'Forward Deployed Backend/DevOps Engineer, Portugal at ICEYE'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/forward-deployed-backend-devops-engineer-portugal-iceye-lisbon-gt607jj2hb68'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-10'
---

# Forward Deployed Backend/DevOps Engineer, Portugal at ICEYE

- **Company:** [ICEYE](https://feeny.ai/companies/iceye)
- **Location:** Lisbon, Portugal
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-09-10
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-10
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/iceye/cc987d13-95f4-46bb-847c-cc86c5676fd4

## Job description

Role highlights:

- Role: Forward Deployed Backend/DevOps Engineer
- Location: Portugal (Lisbon)
- Reports to: VP, Forward Deployed Engineering
- Working type: Hybrid (On-site at customer locations approx. 50% of time)
- Must be eligible and able to attain relevant national and NATO security clearances.
- Must be based in-country and native level speaker of the country you're deploying to.

## Why this role matters

In this role, you are the backend and infrastructure backbone defence and intelligence customers rely on. You deploy ICEYE's intelligence platform into secure (often air-gapped) environments and design the high-performance backend systems that move satellite data at scale — fast APIs, resilient services, tuned databases, automated infrastructure. Our stack: Python and Go services on Kubernetes, PostgreSQL and MongoDB, Terraform and Ansible, CI/CD pipelines that also run offline, cloud (AWS) and on-premises air-gapped clusters, with AI-assisted development as the default. This is a ship-daily role: systems you build run mission-critical workloads analysts use to protect nations.

## What you'll own

Platform deployment & operations

- Deploy ICEYE's intelligence platform into customer secure environments (on-premise, air-gapped networks, classified data centres).
- Install, upgrade and operate Kubernetes clusters and containerised applications (Docker) in customer environments — cloud and on-premises.
- Build infrastructure-as-code (Terraform, Ansible) and CI/CD pipelines that work without external internet access, including offline registries and artifact mirroring.
- Troubleshoot deployment and production issues in disconnected environments, from the application layer down to storage and networking.

High-performance backend systems

- Design and build APIs, services and data pipelines that handle large volumes of SAR imagery and intelligence data with low latency.
- Connect ICEYE systems to customer C4ISR infrastructure and intelligence tools through robust, well-designed integrations.
- Own database design and performance at production scale (PostgreSQL, MongoDB): schemas, indexing, tuning, replication and backup.
- Apply caching, queueing and horizontal scaling patterns deliberately — and capacity-plan for fixed on-premises hardware where you cannot simply scale out.

Reliability, security & observability

- Build monitoring, logging and alerting that work in restricted environments, so problems are found before the customer finds them.
- Harden deployments to meet customer security constraints; own backup, recovery and upgrade paths for systems that cannot go down.
- Run the infrastructure behind AI workloads shipped by the team — model serving, vector databases, GPU nodes — reliably and repeatably.

Customer engagement & rapid delivery

- Work embedded with intelligence analysts, operators and customer IT teams to understand operational and infrastructure requirements.
- Rapidly prototype and iterate (working systems first, polish later) to address immediate operational needs.
- Conduct hands-on training for customer administrators on platform operations.
- Feed deployment experience back to ICEYE's product and engineering teams as concrete technical requirements.

## What we're looking for

Must-haves

- 5+ years hands-on backend engineering building and operating production systems at scale.
- Strong programming skills in Python. You write typed, tested services and you are comfortable with async APIs. TypeScript is a plus.
- Proven experience designing high-performance backend systems: APIs, distributed services, messaging, caching and databases under real load. Experience with spatial, search, or vector workloads in Postgres is a plus.
- Production experience in both cloud (e.g., AWS) and on-premises environments — this role lives in both.
- Deep Docker and Kubernetes: deploy, debug, and upgrade clusters — not only consume them. GitOps and infrastructure-as-code experience. Pipelines that can run offline or on an isolated network are a plus.
- Observability as a habit: metrics, logs, and alerts are part of done.
- Infrastructure-as-code (Terraform, Ansible) and CI/CD experience, ideally including pipelines that run offline or in isolated networks.
- PostgreSQL and/or MongoDB at production scale: schema design, tuning, replication, backup and recovery.
- Observability as a habit: metrics, logging and alerting are part of done, not an afterthought.
- Builder mindset: ship fast, iterate with feedback, and prioritise working solutions over perfect architecture.
- Strong communication and customer engagement, able to work embedded with intelligence analysts / military operators.
- Strong spoken and written English, able to explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
- Willingness to travel 40–60% to customer sites within the region.

## Nice to have

- Experience in defence, intelligence, or government operational environments.
- Deploying to on-prem data centres and/or air-gapped networks, including offline artifact and registry management.
- Event streaming and high-throughput data systems (e.g., Kafka or similar) at production scale.
- Deeper Kubernetes: operators, service mesh, multi-cluster, storage and networking internals.
- Security hardening and accreditation experience (system hardening baselines, audit and compliance in classified environments).
- Familiarity with geospatial data, satellite imagery, or remote sensing.
- Experience running infrastructure for AI/LLM workloads: GPU scheduling, model serving, vector databases.
- Active use of AI-assisted development tools as part of your daily workflow.
- Experience in defence tech (e.g., Palantir, Anduril, Scale AI, similar startups).

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 athttps://www.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
- [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
- [AIT Engineering Team Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/ait-engineering-team-lead-iceye-warsaw-bby7r1q0mv2a) — Warsaw, Poland