Space systems and operations engineer

01 / About Intella

Intella builds AI mission intelligence software for satellite fleet operations. Our products help operators see the live status of their fleet, get qualified recommendations on what to do next, and orchestrate operations workflows. We are a seed-stage deep-tech company of around 15 people based at PoliHub and ESA BIC in Milan, working with commercial and institutional space operators in Europe and the US.

02 / The role

You will be the bridge between satellite operations expertise and our software product. You bring hands-on knowledge of how missions are actually run and use it to shape what we build, validate it against real operational needs, and explain it to customers, partners and the market.

You will report to the CTO and work daily with the founders, the engineering team and the Business division. The role is cross-functional by design: part engineering, part product, part customer-facing, part training.

We know this is a broad scope. We will shape the exact mix of responsibilities together, based on your strengths, interests and experience.

03 / What you will do

Technical and product

• Analyse satellite telemetry data and contribute to data processing workflows.
• Configure and integrate open-source mission control software.
• Support the configuration and optimisation of our data intelligence platform for each customer.
• Contribute to feature development and codebase improvements.
• Define and review technical requirements, product roadmap and feature specifications.
• Evaluate solutions from an operations perspective: does this actually work in a control room?
• Support the development of internal tools (satellite simulator, data management, test datasets).

Training and knowledge transfer

• Design and build training courses for satellite operators, on our products and on operations topics: course structure, material, hands-on exercises.
• Deliver the courses as an instructor, in person and remotely, to customers, partners and institutional audiences.
• Produce onboarding and training material for new customers.

Customer and market

• Support marketing with domain expertise and technical content.
• Participate in sales conversations, demos, conferences and industry events.
• Translate customer needs into product requirements and feed operational insights back to the team.

04 / What we are looking for

Must have

• Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering or equivalent.
• 3 to 5 years of experience in the space industry.
• Hands-on experience with satellite operations: mission control, ground segment or similar.
• Working knowledge of Python and general software engineering practices.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to explain technical topics clearly to engineers, customers and trainees, in writing and in front of a room.
• Willingness to design and teach training courses for satellite operators.
• Willingness to travel to customer sites, conferences and events, mainly in Europe and the US.
• Autonomy and ownership. We are a small team and you will run your area with little supervision.
• Fluent English.
• Based in Italy.

Nice to have

• Experience with telemetry analysis or FDIR (fault detection, isolation and recovery).
• Familiarity with space mission standards (ECSS, CCSDS).
• Prior experience teaching, training or mentoring (university, industry courses, internal training).
• Prior exposure to product management or business development.
• Experience with data platforms, workflow automation or ML and AI applications.
• Public speaking or conference experience.
• Italian, for local market and institutional activities.

05 / Where and how we work

• Hybrid: 2 days a week in our office in Milan (PoliHub and ESA BIC), the rest remote.
• Full remote is possible for the right candidate, agreed case by case.
• Travel to customer sites, conferences and training sessions. All travel expenses are covered.
• Flexible working hours, with an OKR-based evaluation mechanism.

06 / What we offer

• Gross annual salary between €35k and €65k, negotiable based on experience and scope of responsibilities.
• Fringe bonus based on annual performance.
• Lunch card.
• Computer and business equipment.
• Company retreats and team-building activities.
• Direct exposure to customers, partners and industry events, and a real say in what the product becomes.