Software Engineer (Satellite Payload Downlink)

ICEYE is a Finnish space technology company that owns and operates the world's largest commercial synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite constellation. The company delivers continuous, all-weather, day-and-night Earth observation capabilities, enabling persistent monitoring and rapid detection of changes at any location on the planet. Its core offerings span SAR data products, mission systems for sovereign governments, defense and intelligence solutions, and natural catastrophe monitoring for the insurance, banking, and public sectors. ICEYE plays a significant role in climate resilience and disaster response by providing near real-time, observed data on natural catastrophes such as floods, wildfires, and hurricanes. Unlike traditional modelling approaches, ICEYE delivers actual satellite-derived flood extents and depths, empowering governments, insurers, and utilities to respond faster and more accurately to climate-driven disasters. This capability supports community resilience, more precise insurance claims processing, and informed policy decisions in the face of increasing climate risk. What distinguishes ICEYE is its combination of the largest SAR constellation globally, sub-meter (25 cm) resolution imagery, and an end-to-end operational intelligence infrastructure that includes deployable ground units capable of compressing collection-to-dissemination timelines to minutes. Founded with a mission to make Earth observation data continuously available and actionable, ICEYE serves defense, intelligence, government, and commercial clients worldwide, positioning itself as a critical enabler of both national security and climate adaptation efforts.

• Software Engineer

• Location: Espoo, Finland

• Department: Fleet Control and Satellite Communications

• Reports to: Engineering Manager, Satellite Payload Downlink

• Employment type: Permanent

• Workplace model: Hybrid

• Employment is subject to applicable security screening (incl. SUPO, where required)
  

Why this role matters:

As a Software Engineer, you'll help keep data flowing from our satellites to the ground, reliably and at scale.

You'll join the team responsible for downlinking payload data from ICEYE's SAR constellation: integrating with ground station streams, decoding, error correction, decryption, and routing data onward for processing. Ground stations are globally distributed, and data has to arrive complete and on time. You'll own components within this pipeline, working closely with more senior engineers to keep the system reliable as the constellation scales.

Who We Are

ICEYE delivers space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities to governments and allied nations. This includes sovereign and turnkey ISR missions leveraging ICEYE's world-leading synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite technology, as well as access to data from the world's largest SAR satellite constellation. These capabilities enable partners to detect and respond to critical changes anywhere on Earth with unprecedented speed and accuracy - day or night and in any weather, supported by ultra high-resolution imagery and high-frequency revisits.

As a trusted partner for defense, intelligence, security, and maritime domain awareness, ICEYE's near real-time data creates a tactical advantage for mission-critical operations. Designed for dual use, the platform also serves civil protection and commercial users for natural-catastrophe intelligence, insurance, maritime monitoring including oil-spill detection, and finance, contributing to global security and community resilience.

ICEYE is headquartered in Finland and operates globally across Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. We have more than 900 employees, united by a shared vision: improving life on Earth by becoming the global source of truth in Earth Observation.

Your day-to-day responsibilities

• Build and maintain components of the payload downlink pipeline, including decoding, error correction, decryption, and routing of satellite data

• Anticipate edge cases and failure modes in your area of ownership, and design for reliability under real-world conditions

• Debug and resolve production issues in a distributed, latency-sensitive system, with support from senior team members

• Write clean, tested, maintainable code in Go or a similar language

• Collaborate with ground station connectivity, downlink, and downstream data teams to keep data flowing end to end

• Contribute to code reviews, testing practices, and the team's engineering standards

• Use AI-assisted tools where they genuinely speed up delivery, debugging, or learning

What we're looking for

Must haves:

• Proven professional software engineering experience, ideally in backend or distributed systems, with enough time in production to have developed good instincts for what breaks and why

• Proficiency in Go or a comparable statically typed language, with willingness to work primarily in Go

• Hands-on experience with containerized environments such as Docker

• Experience building or operating production systems where reliability and correctness matter, not just scripts or prototypes

• Working knowledge of relational databases such as PostgreSQL

• Strong debugging and problem-solving skills, with a structured approach to new or unfamiliar issues

• Pragmatic experience in using AI/LLM tools to support software development

• Strong communication skills in English and a collaborative approach to working with a team

Nice to haves:

• Hands-on experience with AWS

• Experience with Kubernetes, Terraform, CI/CD pipelines, or GitOps workflows

• Exposure to data infrastructure at scale, streaming systems, or high-throughput pipelines

• Interest in satellite communications, ground segment systems, or other operationally critical environments

Application Process

• TA Partner Screen

• Hiring Manager Interview

• Technical Interview

• Values & Fit Interview

Working at ICEYE

At ICEYE, you'll join a diverse and highly engaged team united by the ambition to make the impossible possible. As a global scale-up, we combine speed and ambition with the opportunity to take real ownership from day one. Your growth, wellbeing, and success are a priority, with continuous professional development, training opportunities, and a culture where collaboration is how we win.

How We Work (Our Values)

• Make the impossible possible: We set ambitious goals and stay calm under pressure. We bring grit, optimism, and ownership when things get hard, and we keep moving until we find a way.

• Be curious: Go deep, ask questions, listen carefully, and think critically. Understand the why behind decisions.

• See the big picture: Stay close to what's happening across the company so you can make better decisions. Consider how your work affects others.

• Drive effective teamwork: Create psychological safety, invite different perspectives, and build inclusive teams. There are no bad questions.

• Act as one team: We win together. We match tasks to the right owner and stay agile as priorities shift.

• Have fun: What we do matters and it should be enjoyable. Celebrate progress, take pride in results, and share the wins.

Benefits

Our benefits are designed to support your health and wellbeing, at work and beyond. We keep improving them based on employee feedback, and offerings vary by location. Talent Attraction will confirm what applies for this role and location during the process.

Base salary range for this position is 5000-7000 EUR per month (gross), depending on experience, and will be negotiated individually.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We want ICEYE to be a place where people can be themselves and do great work. Different backgrounds and perspectives make us stronger, which is why we work to create an environment where people feel included, respected, and able to speak up. Whatever your background, we want you to bring your authentic self to the table.

We're committed to fair, inclusive hiring and equal opportunity. Everyone is welcome to apply. If you need any adjustments or support during the recruitment process, tell us and we will do our best to help.

Apply now to start your ICEYE journey and help us continue to make the impossible possible together. Read more about ICEYE and working with us at iceye.com.