The Da Vinci Satellite team is recruiting! The different positions within the Technical team, the Education team, the Business team and the Public Relations team can be found below. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to send us an email. This page is in English as it is a requirement that our team members know English.
Core/Management positions
The core team is responsible for guaranteeing satellite launch and completion of all non-technical project aspects in accordance with the project vision and associated timeline. The team is composed of a Project Manager, Secretary and the managers of the different departments, namely the 2 Technical Managers, Education Manager, Business Manager and Public Relations Manager.
Project Manager (~16 hours per week)
As the Project Manager, you lead the core team of the academic year 2024-2025. You are the main responsible for long-term project vision and oversee both short-term and long-term activities of all different departments in accordance with the project timeline. Desired qualities include motivation and willingness to learn as well as prior leadership experience. Ultimately you get to lead a 80-people strong student team which is a large, but meaningful, responsibility as we work toward the launch of the satellite and educational material!
Technical Manager (~16 hours per week)
As the Technical Manager, you lead the technical team of the academic year 2024-2025. You, and one additional Technical Manager, are the main responsible for the technical side of the project and lead the technical subteams, namely: Payload, Systems, Software, Electrical and Ground Station & Operations. You oversee both short-term and long-term technical activities of all different departments in accordance with the project timeline. Furthermore you participate as a member of the core/management team. Desired qualities include motivation and willingness to learn, prior leadership experience and basic knowledge of Space Flight concepts. Ultimately you get to work toward launching an actual satellite into space!
Technical positions
The technical team is responsible for designing, building and testing the satellite. The team is divided into different subteams, namely, Payload, Systems, Software, Electrical and Ground Station & Operations.
Software Engineer (~8 hours per week)
As a software engineer you will be developing both the software for the high-level operational modes of the satellite, as well as the low-level hardware component drivers for all of our subsystems. You will be working closely together with the Electronics & Hardware team to thoroughly test the software to ensure that that it functions properly in space. Experience and a high level understanding of C++ is required, and experience with embedded systems is a plus!
Electronics Engineer (~8 hours per week)
As an electrical support engineer you will thoroughly test the different satellite subsystem and communicate with the respective companies in case of any difficulties. This will gradually shift towards research into a test and flight harness. Whilst researching you will look into how the different subsystems are powered, how they communicate with each other and lastly, if the flight harness can endure the launch and space environment, using a vibration test, for example. You will develop electronics and testing skills in a team setting using Arduino while sharpening your C++, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Lastly, your work and ideas will contribute to this team’s goal of sending a satellite into orbit for many year to come!
Ground Station & Operations Engineer (~5 hours per week)
As a GS&Ops engineer , you will learn about satellite communications and ground station operations. You will be designing the data packages containing payload or telemetry data that will be transferred between ground station and the satellite, as well as tools to process the data. In later stages, we will move onto learning how to operate the ground station and create a user-friendly interface that fits our mission needs. Lastly, once the satellite is operational, you will be responsible for communicating with a satellite.
Educational positions
The education team is working hard on developing and testing the educational modules for both primary and secondary schools. These modules are direclty linked to the payload in the satellite.
Primary school (~4 hours per week)
You will be working in a team to develop an educational lesson package. These lessons are partly co-developed with the international primary school and focus on unconventional teaching methods with the aims of bringing space closer to Earth, literally.
High school (~4 hours per week)
You will be working in a team to develop masterclasses for high school students! The masterclass subjects range from, for example, Mars to Interplanetary Travel and aim to contain loads of unconventional educational methods. Expect loads of masterclass trial runs and testing sessions!
Website designer (Figma) (~4 hours per week)
We are looking for a webdesign enthusiast who is familiar with Figma. At the moment we are building our website which will be in direct contact with the Da Vinci Satellite (a unique opportunity) and which should be user-friendly, playful, child-friendly and educational. Your job will be to make sure the user journey is enjoyable and effective. You will get lots of support from the educational department and will work in an interdisciplinary team (from PR to tech). You will be part of the website development process with an external website developer, you can see your design come to life!
Business positions
The business team focus on both the finance aspect as well as the external relations aspect.
The finance team is focussed on getting funding for the project and taking care of the launch contract.
The External Relations team has a large range of responsibilities and opportunities to help with. Our team's main objectives involve expanding the project's outreach and resource base, actively seeking new sponsorships and partnerships, and maintaining strong connections with existing collaborators. We categorize our team into two distinct functions, and we are seeking individuals who are suited to fulfill one or both of these categories.
Finance team member (~4 hours per week)
As a member of the Finance team of Da Vinci Satellite, it will be your main responsibility to locate and get in touch with companies and initiatives, willing to collaborate with the team, while sharing the same goals and objectives. These companies can range from small local businesses to multinationals and even national or global funds. Maintaining the financial health of the project requires professionalism, dedication and collaboration. You will be applying these principles in finance and business meetings as well as during our weekly work sessions. Contacting businesses, creating proposals and templates, scheduling prospect meetings, and gaining financial and corporate experience, having fun in the process, are all part of this invaluable work experience!
Communication & Outreach (~4 hours per week)
One of the primary objectives of the External Relations team is to enhance the visibility of our project and maintain strong relationships with our current sponsors and partners. As a team member, your role will involve updating our professional platforms, such as LinkedIn, ensuring regular communication with partners by providing project updates, and occasionally contributing articles to media outlets.
Engagement & Networking (~4 hours per week)
The team is consistently seeking new opportunities to expand our resources and outreach by establishing connections with potential sponsors and partners. Your main responsibility as a team member will be to cultivate professional relationships and identify opportunities for collaboration. This includes actively participating in networking events within the space industry, organizing crowdfunding initiatives, scouting for new contacts and opportunities, and other related tasks.
Public relations positions
The public relations team aims at maintaining the Da Vinci Satellite corporate identity in order to build a following through recognizable and cohesive media and increasing team visibility towards students and the general public.
Event planner (~4 hours per week)
As ‘Event planner’ within the Public Relations team you will be responsible for organising events tied to the Da Vinci Satellite project, mainly connecting our project with sustainability initiatives as well as assisting in organising the events surrounding our satellite launch. Your responsibilities can include either working on previously thought-up events by the current team or coming up with your own creative ideas for either small- or large-scale events!
Social Media Content Manager (~4 hours per week)
As ‘Social Media Content Manager’ within the Public Relations team you will be responsible for creating and posting weekly posts on the Da Vinci Satellite social media. You will work together with another team member in the same role with whom the types of posts are divided. The posts can be related to the team and project but also space-related educational fun facts. The role gets support and ideas from the rest of the PR team, but is also very open to your own ideas and interpretations!
Graphic Designer (~4 hours per week)
Do you like designing posters, video's, patches, stickers, leaflets, and many more things? Or would you like to learn and practice skills in the area of graphic design?
As a graphic designer of the PR team you will have a lot of room to grow and implement your own creativity. We have an established housestle, but don't let that fool you, there is a whole lot of space for creative design!