Junior Professional in Microprocessor Microelectronics Engineering
Job Requisition ID: 19538
Date Posted: 15 May 2025
Closing Date: 5 June 2025 23:59 CET/CEST
Publication: Internal & External
Type of Contract: Junior Professional
Directorate: Technology, Engineering and Quality
Workplace:Noordwijk, NL
Grade Band: A1 - A1
This post is part of ESA’s Junior Professional Programme. We are looking for enthusiastic candidates with up to 2–3 years of relevant professional experience after their Master’s degree to join ESA for a four-year assignment. During this time, you will be actively working and learning on the job and will benefit from valuable mobility and developmental opportunities that will prepare you for a successful career at ESA. Subject to performance, it is therefore the intention to offer you an indefinite contract which will start at the end of the four years.
The selection process for the 2025 cohort of Junior Professionals will take place during Spring 2025, with a projected start date in October or November 2025.
Recruitment will take place at the A1 grade. At the end of the fourth year and if you are offered an indefinite contract at the end of your Junior Professional assignment, you will be upgraded to the A2 grade.

DESCRIPTION

Microprocessor Microelectronics Engineer in the Microelectronics Section, Data Systems, Microelectronics and Components Technology Division, Electrical Department, Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality.
The Microelectronics Section provides functional support to ESA projects and carries out technological research and development (R&D) in the field of integrated circuits, relating, for example, to ASICs, ASSPs, FPGAs, microprocessors and microcontrollers.

EDUCATION

A master’s degree or higher qualification in electronic engineering or physics is required for this post.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

You should have between two and three years of professional experience, preferably in a relevant domain, after completion of your master’s degree.

You should have experience in end-to-end design, system integration and testing of ICs and FPGAs, as well as reusable IP cores. In particular, competence in the following domains is required:

• Microprocessors, digital signal processors and accelerators
• Digital FPGA and/or ASIC design, simulation, synthesis, layout and tools
• Design methodology and tools for reusable IP cores
• Integrated circuit functional, electrical, and environmental testing

Preference will be given to candidates with expertise in two or more of the following domains of microelectronics relating to the position:

• RISC-V, SPARC, ARM and DSP processor instruction set architectures (ISA) and their extensions
• Communication, artificial intelligence, GNSS and/or image or video processor architectures
• Ethernet, PCIe, JESD204, SpaceFibre, SpaceWire, CAN and MIL-STD-1553 interfaces
• System level modelling with Matlab, SystemC and/or SystemVerilog
• High-level synthesis and auto-coding
• Hardware software co-design
• Hardware Description Language coding rules and linting tools
• Programming in C, C++ and Python

DUTIES

As a Junior Professional, your tasks and responsibilities will include:

• identifying the 3GPP communication payload signal processing, control and security algorithms to be implemented in the next generation of constellation satellites;
• analysing and profiling the implementation of these algorithms on existing and future space processors, such as microprocessors, digital signal processors and accelerators;
• developing processor enhancements to increase throughput, reliability and/or power efficiency for selected and implemented algorithms;
• proposing and supporting processor enhancements for implementation in the satellite communication payload processor.

As you progress as a Junior Professional, your duties will increase in scope to include:

• providing expert technical support and consultancy to ESA projects, programmes and general studies in the field of microelectronics, microprocessors, microcontrollers and soft IP processor cores throughout all project phases;
• participating in feasibility studies, project reviews and the evaluation of procurement proposals;
• identifying critical development problems and assisting in their resolution;
• contributing to the definition of technology development requirements and work plans for the Agency’s technology programmes;
• defining, initiating and managing R&D activities covering both long- and short-term needs;
• fostering new application areas for multidisciplinary activities, placing emphasis on innovative concepts, cutting-edge technologies and system architectures;
• laboratory activities as required;
• monitoring applicable scientific and technological trends and maintaining state-of-the-art expertise;
• contributing to the dissemination of the results of the activities performed and the transfer of knowledge across the Agency.

Your duties may also include supporting other activities within your field of competence.

You should have experience in end-to-end design, system integration and testing of ICs and FPGAs, as well as reusable IP cores. In particular, competence in the following domains is required:

• Microprocessors, digital signal processors and accelerators
• Digital FPGA and/or ASIC design, simulation, synthesis, layout and tools
• Design methodology and tools for reusable IP cores
• Integrated circuit functional, electrical, and environmental testin