Project Manager - Space Instrumentation

Your (space) mission

You turn space ambitions into reliable execution. Both on Earth and beyond.

As the Project Manager at cosine, you manage the projects that bring cutting-edge space instruments from design to launch. Working in the heart of our Remote Sensing business, you ensure that complex space missions are delivered on time, within budget, and to the highest standards of quality expected in the space industry. The project budgets you manage typically range from €5 million to €20 million.

You are the stabilizing force in a highly innovative environment. While engineers and scientists push the boundaries of optical and sensing technology for satellites, you keep the program grounded in reality: clear planning, controlled costs, aligned stakeholders, and predictable delivery. Your work directly contributes to instruments that operate in orbit and generate insights about our planet and universe.

Tasks & responsibilities

In this role, your responsibilities will include:

• Own end-to-end project execution for space instrument development programs
• Drive integrated planning across schedule, budget, and resources in multidisciplinary teams
• Align and coordinate stakeholders, including institutional customers, partners, and suppliers
• Track progress through all project phases, from design to AIT and launch preparation
• Proactively identify risks and ensure structured mitigation in line with space project standards

Your profile

We are looking for candidates with the following qualifications:

• Several years of experience leading complex technical projects in space, aerospace, or other high-tech engineering environments
• A strong technical or scientific background, for example in physics, engineering, systems engineering, or a related field
• Proven ability to manage projects with demanding requirements on performance, schedule, cost, and quality
• Familiarity with system engineering principles and complex development lifecycles
• Strong stakeholder management skills in an international and multidisciplinary environment
• Structured, calm, and decisive under pressure, with a strong sense of ownership
• Experience with institutional or governmental customers is 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
• A salary between €3,800 - €5,400 gross per month along with an annual bonus based on individual and company performance
• 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

cosine transforms high-stakes measurement challenges into scalable, real-world solutions.

Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Sassenheim, the Netherlands, cosine is a world-leading developer of space instrumentation and measurement systems. Our expertise spans Silicon Pore Optics — including optics developed for ESA's NewAthena X-ray observatory — as well as hyperspectral remote sensing solutions for Earth Observation and planetary science. With over 25 years of experience and facilities across the Netherlands, Germany, and Italy, cosine brings deep scientific and engineering expertise to some of the most demanding missions in the space sector.

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.