Lead Payload Radar & Signal Processing Engineer (m/f/d)

Location: Germany / Hybrid

Employment type: Full-time

Seniority: Mid-senior / Technical Lead

Function: Radar Payload, RF Systems, Signal Processing, Remote Sensing

Project-S is looking for a Lead Payload Radar & Signal Processing Engineer to own radar payload concepts and the associated detection-processing chain for satellite missions.

This is a hands-on technical lead role. You will connect radar theory, RF hardware constraints, spacecraft resources, signal processing, verification, and in-orbit performance.

What you will do

• Derive radar payload requirements from mission-level sensing and detection objectives.
• Build radar performance models, link budgets, SNR/CNR budgets, RCS assumptions, detection-margin analyses, and assumptions logs.
• Define waveform concepts, pulse/chirp parameters, bandwidth, PRF/PRI, duty cycle, timing, synchronization, and detection thresholds.
• Develop signal-processing workflows for I/Q data, matched filtering, pulse compression, FFT processing, range-Doppler maps, CFAR-style detection, and false-alarm control.
• Work with EPS, AOCS/ADCS, flight software, TT&C, and systems engineering to align payload performance with spacecraft constraints.
• Support payload verification, calibration planning, test procedures, commissioning, and anomaly investigation.

What we are looking for

• Strong understanding of radar equation terms, SNR/CNR, RCS, antenna gain, receiver noise, processing gain, and detection margin.
• Experience with radar modelling, RF payload requirements, signal processing, and detection-performance analysis.
• Strong Python, MATLAB, C++, or similar skills.
• Familiarity with RF payload blocks such as PA, LNA, mixers, filters, PLLs, ADC/DAC chains, SDRs, FPGAs/RFSoCs, timing, shielding, and grounding.
• Ability to write clear technical documents, budgets, ICD inputs, verification cases, and test reports.