Flexa
Discover companiesFind a jobResourcesSign in/up
For employers
Flex spring

Join the mailing list

Get the latest insights and expert guidance on job hunting, career progression, and creating thriving workplaces.

Enter your email
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • FAQs
  • Info for employers
  • Join Flexa
  • Legal
  • Live feed
  • Resources
  • Sign in/up
  • The Flexa awards
Flexa
< Back to search
Airbus

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Performance Engineer

Location:  Getafe, Spain
Location flexibility:  1 office day / week, 2 office days / week, 3 office days / week, 4 office days / week
View company profile
Apply

Job Description

Job Description:

An opportunity for a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Performance Engineer has arisen within Airbus Defence and Space, Getafe (Madrid).

The selected candidate will join the Microwave Instrument Engineering Team, a specialized multidisciplinary department dedicated to Earth Observation payload design and development. In this role, you will be responsible for defining, modeling, and optimizing end-to-end SAR system performance from early concept through to mission operations. You will act as a key technical reference across the SAR processing chain, image quality evaluation, and calibration/validation (Cal/Val) campaigns, working in close collaboration with RF, antenna, payload, and data processing teams on major international space programs.

Responsibilities

The main tasks of the jobholder will be:

  • End-to-End Performance Modeling: Develop, implement, and maintain system-level models and simulators (covering signal, geometry, propagation, and noise) to predict end-to-end SAR performance and establish requirement allocations.
  • Image Quality Evaluation & Budgets: Generate and monitor comprehensive instrument-level performance budgets, assessing key radar metrics including spatial resolution, NESZ, radiometric accuracy, and ambiguity ratios (range/azimuth).
  • System Architecture & Trade-Offs: Perform advanced trade-off analyses (orbit parameters, frequency bands, PRF selection, and antenna configurations) to support mission definition and instrument design optimization.
  • Calibration & Processing Support: Drive SAR processing chain verification, focusing algorithms, and calibration/validation (Cal/Val) strategies using in-orbit and ground campaign data.
  • AIT & V&V Integration: Define and support Assembly, Integration, and Testing (AIT) as well as payload Verification and Validation (V&V) activities across laboratory and environmental test phases.
Apply

Other jobs you might like

Airbus

Microwave Radiometer RF Arhitect

Getafe, ES

#1 BEST WORK-LIFE BALANCE

Working at Airbus

Hybrid

Fully flexible hours

Company benefits

Accrued annual leave
Adoption leave
Annual bonus
Bike parking
Coaching
Complimentary Medical Services
Cycle to work scheme
Employee discounts
Enhanced maternity leave
Enhanced paternity leave
Enhanced sick pay
Family health insurance
Health insurance
In house training
Language lessons
Mentoring
On-site gym
Open to compressed hours
Open to job sharing
Open to part time work for some roles
Open to part-time employees
Referral bonus
Sabbaticals
Teambuilding days
Mental health support
Mental health platform access
Mental health first aiders
On-site catering
Modern office
L&D budget
Lunch and learns
Hackathons
Share options
Electric Car Salary Sacrifice
401K
Enhanced pension match/contribution
Faith rooms

Awards & Accreditations

1st - Best Work-Life Balance

1st - Best Work-Life Balance

Flexa awards 2026
2nd – Most loved - Large companies

2nd – Most loved - Large companies

Flexa awards 2026
Most Mission Driven Company

Top 5 - Most Mission Driven Company

Flexa awards 2026
1st - Best Work-Life Balance

1st - Best Work-Life Balance

Flexa awards 2025
3rd - Best Career Progression

3rd - Best Career Progression

Flexa awards 2025
Most Inclusive Company

Top 5 - Most Inclusive Company

Flexa awards 2025
Most Flexible Company

Top 10 - Most Flexible Company

Flexa awards 2025
Apply
Project Milestones & Technical Leadership:
Deliver key performance documentation and represent the system engineering team in formal reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR/TRB) as well as customer-facing technical exchanges and future mission proposals.

Skills

Is your profile aligned to the following list of skills? Apply! We are looking forward to getting to know you:

  • Education: Master’s degree (MSc) or PhD in Telecommunications Engineering, Electrical Engineering, RF/Microwave Engineering, or Physics.
  • Experience: 5 to 10 years of professional experience in remote-sensing microwave instrument development, with a deep focus on SAR systems and radar signal processing.
  • Technical Knowledge: Deep command of SAR principles, radar performance metrics (NESZ, SNR, ambiguity suppression), end-to-end signal processing chains, and advanced numerical modeling/simulation using Python, MATLAB, or equivalent.
  • Soft Skills: Strong analytical problem-solving abilities, high autonomy in managing workload across multiple projects, and proven collaborative skills within multidisciplinary engineering teams.
  • Languages: Advanced / Negotiation level in English (mandatory, written and spoken). Fluent Spanish is valuable; French or German is desirable.
  • Valuable / Nice to Have:Solid understanding of ESA development lifecycles and space engineering standards (ECSS, MIL-STD, CCSDS).Requirements engineering experience using tools such as IBM DOORS.Complementary knowledge of passive microwave instruments or radiometer systems.Experience in international space projects or customer-facing environments.Availability to travel for test campaigns and project milestone reviews.

Which Benefits Will You Have as an Airbus Employee?

At Airbus we are focused on our employees and their welfare. Take a look at some of our social benefits:

  • Vacation days plus additional days-off along the year.
  • Attractive salary.
  • Hybrid model of working when possible.
  • Collective transport service subject to working calendar/home location.
  • Benefits such as life insurance, health insurance, employee stock options, retirement plan, or study grants.
  • On-site facilities (among others): free canteen, kindergarten, medical office.
  • Possibility to collaborate in different social and corporate social responsibility initiatives.
  • Excellent upskilling opportunities and great development prospects in a multicultural environment.
  • Option to access special rates in products & benefits.

#MYCYM

This job requires an awareness of any potential compliance risks and a commitment to act with integrity, as the foundation for the Company’s success, reputation and sustainable growth.

Company:
Airbus Defence and Space SAU

Employment Type:
Permanent
-------

Experience Level:
Professional

Job Family:
Elec.Electron.&Electromag,Optics&Optron.

By submitting your CV or application you are consenting to Airbus using and storing information about you for monitoring purposes relating to your application or future employment. This information will only be used by Airbus.
Airbus is committed to achieving workforce diversity and creating an inclusive working environment. We welcome all applications irrespective of social and cultural background, age, gender, disability, sexual orientation or religious belief.

Airbus is, and always has been, committed to equal opportunities for all. As such, we will never ask for any type of monetary exchange in the frame of a recruitment process. Any impersonation of Airbus to do so should be reported to emsom@airbus.com .

At Airbus, we support you to work, connect and collaborate more easily and flexibly. Wherever possible, we foster flexible working arrangements to stimulate innovative thinking.

Airbus

Microwave Radiometer RF Engineer (entry level)

Getafe, ES

#1 BEST WORK-LIFE BALANCE

Airbus

Microwave Instrument Digital & Signal Processing Engineer (entry-level)

Getafe, ES

#1 BEST WORK-LIFE BALANCE

Airbus

Earth Observation Satellite System Engineer

Getafe, ES

#1 BEST WORK-LIFE BALANCE

Airbus

Aircraft Performance Engineer - External Performance Models (BADA / ANP)

Getafe, ES

#1 BEST WORK-LIFE BALANCE

Company employees:

165000

Gender diversity (m:f):

70:30

Hiring in countries

Belgium

Brazil

Canada

Chile

China

Colombia

Cyprus

Denmark

France

Germany

Hong Kong

Hungary

India

Indonesia

Ireland

Italy

Japan

Kazakhstan

Malaysia

Mexico

Morocco

Netherlands

Philippines

Poland

Portugal

Romania

Saudi Arabia

Singapore

Slovakia

South Korea

Spain

Taiwan

Thailand

United Arab Emirates

United Kingdom

United States

Vietnam

Office Locations