In Support to ESA’s Technical Directorate at ESTEC we are looking for a: Software & Validation Engineer

This position supports potential space projects in terms of software engineering, flight software or ground software, generally embedded real-time. In addition, the person selected will support the R&D plan implementation and the development of space software standards (ECSS-E-40 family).

Key tasks and Responsibilities:

• The activities of the section TEC-SWE are described at http://www.esa.int/TEC/Software_engineering_and_standardisation. The envisaged short-term activity in the section is two-fold (project + laboratory) with more importance given to hands-on project support activities and laboratory activities:
• Support to the Galileo project for the SDL modelling of the FDIR and other functions such as monitoring, mode management; for the interfacing of SDL models with Simulink models, either on-board AOCS models or external simulator models;
• Potentially use of the OMEGA profile on Rhapsody to support verification of models coming from industry;
• Potential support to Proba project for SDL modelling of part of the on- board software;
• Support to the set-up of a system software co-engineering environment and demonstrator in the ESTEC laboratory of the Software Engineering and Standardisation section, which includes various modelling tools (Taste [i.e. assert] editor, UML/Rhapsody, ObjectGeode or PragmaDev SDL, Matlab/Simulink, Stateflow, etc) and associated autocode generators. The network of PCs used to model and generate the software will be connected to Leon (Sparc) boards where the installed middleware will receive the generated codes. The person selected will support the development and integration of the demonstrator from elements developed in-house or from industrial contracts, with a focus on the functional modelling aspect. The result will be a demonstrator that will be shown to ESA and industry projects, and an environment supported by a process and user manual for future project support, in terms of requirement modelling and verification, and software prototyping;
• The long-term objective is to contribute to the development of realistic spacecraft software, based on all the section’s technologies (models, hard real time, reference architecture) validated on the Avionics Test Bench of the Division laboratory. A next step could be in the future to fly it on a small spacecraft/cubesat/payload.

Skills and Experience:

• In addition to a relevant degree in computer science, software engineering or equivalent, the person selected should have the following:
• Knowledge of real-time embedded systems is necessary. Software practical experience, real-time software, design methods, cross compilers (GNU), programming languages C and Ada, operating system (e.g. RTEMS).
• Knowledge of the modelling languages SDL, Simulink and ASN.1 is necessary.
• Knowledge of formal verification techniques and in particular model checking, observer, test scenario generation, verification of scenario is necessary.
• Knowledge of the Assert toolset (www.assert-online.net) and more specifically of its evolution called TASTE (www.semantix.gr/assert) is necessary.
• Experience in automatic generation of test cases is an important asset.
• Knowledge in space on-board software is an important asset, in particular the FDIR function and the mode management.
• Knowledge in software architecture, component model, communication middleware (all for embedded) is an asset.
• Knowledge of the space processors (Leon, i.e. sparc architecture) is interesting
• Experience in system/software requirements, trade-off, modelling of embedded systems is interesting.
• Knowledge in software standards is interesting.

Starting date: September 2010 or as soon as possible thereafter; long-term

An exciting international working environment in a highly innovative and motivated team awaits you!

HE Space Operations is an international human resources company specialised in the space market. We have been providing consultancy services in space engineering and business administration for over 25 years. We generally work directly on-site with our principal customers such as the European Space Agency and EADS Astrium.