--- title: 'Program Director - UAE at ICEYE' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/program-director-uae-iceye-united-arab-emirates-vf9sk9xp581p' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-10' --- # Program Director - UAE at ICEYE - **Company:** [ICEYE](https://feeny.ai/companies/iceye) - **Location:** United Arab Emirates - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** hybrid - **Posted:** 2026-09-09 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-10 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/iceye/1d854eb3-6624-4ca8-8e3b-9c787f381b7a ## Job description Role highlights: - Program Director UAE - Location: Abu Dhabi - Department: Missions - Reports to: VP, Missions Programme Management - Employment type: Permanent - Workplace model: Hybrid - Employment is subject to applicable security screening (incl. SUPO, where required) Why this role matters: Deliver complex Satellite Mission programs end-to-end, ensuring customer success, on-time execution, and scalable delivery excellence. You will ensure the full lifecycle of customer missions—from contract execution through delivery—acting as the central orchestrator across engineering, product, operations, and commercial teams. Your role is to ensure programs deliver against commitments while building strong, trusted customer relationships. This role directly contributes to ICEYE’s ambition to become the leading provider of space-based ISR infrastructure by scaling reliable, high-impact mission delivery globally. The role will be based in the UAE at the ICEYE facility. Travel to Espoo (Finland) and customer sites is required. ## Who We Are ICEYE is the world leader in sovereign intelligence from space. We deliver persistent monitoring capabilities to detect and respond to changes in any location on Earth. ICEYE owns the world's largest and most advanced SAR (synthetic aperture radar) satellite constellation. To our customers we provide intelligence with unmatched quality, latency and revisit times, in any weather, day or night. To governments who choose to operate their own constellation we provide this proven capability as a sovereign system. ICEYE-built constellations serve customers in defence and intelligence, environmental monitoring, insurance and emergency management. We enable fast decisions that contribute to a safer future. Founded and headquartered in Finland, ICEYE operates globally with over 1000 employees across Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. ## Your day-to-day responsibilities - Satellite Mission programs are delivered predictably on schedule, within budget, and meeting or exceeding agreed performance and quality targets - Customers experience consistent, high-trust partnerships, reflected in strong satisfaction, repeat business, and seamless program execution - Program plans provide clear alignment across stakeholders, enabling efficient use of resources, financial control, and on-time milestone achievement - Risks, dependencies, and escalations are proactively mitigated, minimizing disruption and ensuring continuous, reliable delivery - Cross-functional teams operate in a coordinated, outcome-driven manner, reducing bottlenecks and accelerating mission execution - Program management practices drive measurable improvements in delivery efficiency, scalability, and predictability across Missions - Stakeholders at all levels have timely, accurate visibility into program status, enabling informed decision-making and early intervention where needed ## What we’re looking for Must haves: - 5–10 years’ experience delivering complex, multi-stakeholder programs in advanced technology environments (e.g. space, defence, telecom, automotive, IT) - Strong customer-facing capability, including managing senior stakeholders and complex requirements - Proven leadership of cross-functional teams to deliver aligned outcomes - Expertise in end-to-end program management (planning, execution, governance across scope, schedule, budget, and risk) - Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills in uncertain environments - Excellent communication skills across technical and non-technical audiences - Degree in business, engineering, or a related field - Must have or be able to get UAE residence Nice to haves: - Experience in Earth Observation (EO), SAR, or remote sensing - Background in complex systems or product development environments - Experience working with government or defence customers - Knowledge of hardware, software, or embedded systems development - Advanced degree (Master’s) or relevant certifications (e.g. PMP, PgMP) Application Process - Initial interview with Talent Attraction - Hiring Manager interview with VP Missions Program - Case interview - Interview with CEO UAE - Final interview with SVP Missions - References 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 at[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 - [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