Project Manager Space Instrumentation

Your (space) mission

As Project Manager at cosine, you turn ambitious space instrumentation programs into successful reality.

Working within our Remote Sensing business, you lead multidisciplinary development projects that bring advanced spaceborne optical instruments from concept to launch. These instruments enable Earth observation and scientific satellite missions, helping scientists and organisations worldwide better understand our planet and the universe beyond.

You create structure in a highly innovative environment, balancing technical excellence with planning, budget, quality, and stakeholder expectations. The projects you manage typically range from €5 million to €20 million and contribute directly to missions with impact far beyond Earth.

Tasks & responsibilities

In this role, your responsibilities will include:

Lead end-to-end execution of space instrument development projects, from project kick-off to final delivery

Manage project scope, schedule, budget, resources, and quality throughout the project lifecycle

Coordinate multidisciplinary teams consisting of engineers, scientists, systems engineers, and manufacturing specialists

Act as the primary point of contact for customers, partners, subcontractors, and internal stakeholders

Monitor project performance and proactively identify, assess, and mitigate risks

Ensure compliance with customer requirements, contractual obligations, and applicable industry standards

Drive decision-making processes and maintain alignment between technical, commercial, and operational objectives

Support proposal and business development activities by contributing project management expertise where required

Your profile

We are looking for candidates with the following qualifications:

Several years of experience managing complex technical development projects in the space, aerospace, defence, or other high-tech industries

A technical or scientific background, preferably in engineering, physics, aerospace, systems engineering, or a related discipline

Demonstrated experience managing projects with demanding requirements regarding performance, planning, cost, and quality

Strong understanding of project management methodologies and engineering development lifecycles

Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively at different organisational levels

A structured and proactive approach, combined with the ability to remain calm and decisive in a dynamic environment

A strong sense of ownership and accountability for project outcomes

Experience working with institutional, governmental, or international customers is considered an advantage

Excellent English communication skills; Dutch is a plus

What we offer

At cosine, we highly value our employees, and we will support your professional and personal development. We also provide our employees with:

A unique, international working environment at the intersection of physics and engineering

The opportunity to deliver end-to-end solutions in autonomous project teams, in close collaboration with customers

27 days of annual leave (based on full-time employment)

Hybrid working options, including the possibility to work partially from home

Company bicycle and fitness plans

A personal development budget

About cosine

Founded in 1998, cosine is a world-leading developer of space instrumentation and measurement systems, making the invisible measurable and the complex actionable.

Its expertise spans High-Energy Optics, including optics developed for ESA's future NewAthena X-ray observatory, as well as remote sensing solutions for Earth Observation and planetary science.

With over 25 years of experience and advanced cleanroom and assembly facilities across the Netherlands, Germany, and Italy, cosine brings deep scientific and engineering expertise to some of the most demanding missions in space and on Earth.

What makes cosine a unique place to work is that your work goes end-to-end: from concept and design to building, testing, and delivering hardware that actually flies in space. You work in small, highly skilled teams where you have real ownership and impact, alongside experts in optics, physics, nanofabrication, and systems engineering.

cosine is committed to providing an inclusive and equal opportunities work environment where everyone can thrive. As a proud member of the Women in Aerospace community, we recognise the importance of diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity in the workplace.