About the Job

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 experienced and dynamic Instrument Specialist who will support our activities in ESRIN and work on a full-time, permanent position with a hybrid working style.

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 specialised 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 manage 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 become part of the Swarm Data Innovation and Science Cluster contractual framework, contributing your expertise to projects for the European Space Agency, and you will carry out your work at ESRIN with a location in Frascati, with the flexibility of partial teleworking. In this role, you will immerse yourself in the scientific and operational life of the Swarm mission, where you will monitor and safeguard the quality of data derived from magnetic field and electric field instruments, ensuring that their measurements remain reliable and meaningful. You will operate and refine quality control tools, investigate anomalies, and support data reprocessing campaigns, while collaborating closely with mission experts, flight operations teams, and processing facilities. You will help validate algorithms, contribute to software verification activities, and develop tailored data analysis routines that reveal deeper insights into sensor performance and geophysical products. As your work unfolds, you will document findings through reports, respond to end-user inquiries, and engage in technical coordination meetings, becoming an active participant in the evolution of data processors and instrument performance. Along the way, you will also translate your technical and scientific contributions into presentations, posters, and documentation for workshops and conferences, ensuring that your efforts resonate across the broader scientific and operational community.

What You Bring to the Mission:

You will demonstrate strong self-motivation, working effectively both within a team and autonomously while maintaining excellent organisation and time management. You will apply a proactive approach to identifying problems, proposing solutions, and planning and reporting your activities to meet deadlines. You will leverage your strong teaming mindset and interfacing capabilities to collaborate efficiently with customers and scientific and technical stakeholders. You will manage multiple concurrent tasks, follow established guidelines with minimal supervision, proactively seek support when needed, and actively suggest improvements, research opportunities, and solutions that enhance satellite data quality, while remaining available to travel for meetings.

You will bring a solid academic background, supported by a Master's degree in physics, mathematics, engineering, data science, or a related discipline, and you will operate confidently in English, applying strong writing and communication skills in your daily activities. You will rely on your foundational understanding of Earth's geomagnetic field, magnetosphere, and ionosphere measurements, along with your basic knowledge of Earth observation satellite data processing and exploration. You will also apply your experience in developing utilities for the analysis and visualisation of Earth observation datasets, using tools such as Python, MATLAB, or other programming and Linux scripting environments to support efficient data manipulation and automation.

Additionally, you will benefit from prior experience with the Swarm mission or data from other scientific spacecraft, which will represent a strong asset in understanding mission data and workflows. Additionally, your exposure to AI and Machine Learning techniques will provide valuable support in exploring advanced approaches to data analysis and quality improvement.

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.

About the Company

Serco is a leading Space Services Provider with thousands of skilled resources that has supported over 50 space missions on behalf of more than 10 Space or Government agencies around the globe, including the likes of ESA, CNES, EUMETSAT, EUSPA, ASI and NASA.We offer space capabilities across the full space lifecycle from satellite testing to Launch services, LEOP to spacecraft operations, space surveillance to data management, and supporting downstream application development. With over 55 years history in the space sector Serco is well placed to contribute to National strategies across Europe and the globeWe work within the heart of the space sector so understand the challenges our customers face. When it comes to recruitment we are experts in sourcing the very best talent within space engineering, earth observation, satellite communications and cyber security. We have placed hundreds of people from post graduates through to C-suite executives into space agencies, satellite operators, manufacturers, system integrators, consultancies, earth observation/remote sensing, launch providers and much more.