Mission Engineer - IBEX

PAVE Space SA; Villeneuve (VD); Remote; CHF 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

PAVE Space SA is seeking a hands-on technical lead to own the mission design for IBEX programs, working directly with the VP of Sovereign Affairs and the engineering team. You will convert customer concepts into concrete mission architectures, perform sizing and trade studies, and contribute to proposals from day one.

This is a first-hire role, on-site in Villeneuve, with immediate customer interactions and live bid opportunities.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in the space sector with solid spacecraft systems and mission design knowledge.
• Ability to size a mission and determine feasibility.
• Experience translating customer concepts into mission architectures.

Responsibilities

• Design and simulate orbital scenarios autonomously for early-stage qualification.
• Size vehicles and perform trade studies for IBEX missions.
• Translate customer concepts into mission architectures and performance parameters.
• Prepare technical sections of proposals and RFP responses.
• Build and maintain reference scenarios, assumptions and models for bids.
• Qualify opportunities with commercial lead and strengthen technical positioning.

Skills

Orbital mechanics

Mission design

Customer engagement

Trade studies

Simulation tools

English fluency

Tools

Simulation software

Job description

PAVE Space is building LYOBA, a heavy kick stage moving up to 4-tonne payloads from LEO to high-energy orbits in under 24 hours.

We're preparing our first commercial mission and actively qualifying customers for it. The work centres on IBEX, our vehicle adapted for institutional and governmental use cases. The technical-commercial bridge doesn't exist yet. You'd be the first hire to own it. You'll work alongside a VP of Sovereign Affairs and be supported by the engineering team, but the mission design work and technical positioning in customer conversations are yours from day one.

You will own

• Design and simulate orbital scenarios based on customer needs, autonomously for early-stage qualification
• Perform vehicle sizing and trade studies to assess feasibility and constraints for IBEX missions
• Translate customer concepts into clear mission architectures and performance parameters
• Prepare the technical sections of proposals and RFP responses
• Build and maintain reference scenarios, assumptions, and models that speed up every future bid
• Qualify opportunities alongside the commercial lead and strengthen technical positioning in customer discussions

What we are looking for

• 5+ years in the space sector with a solid grasp of spacecraft systems and mission design
• Strong orbital mechanics fundamentals; you can size a mission and know when it doesn't close
• Familiarity with Space Situational Awareness concepts and terminology
• You've engaged directly with customers and can explain technical trade-offs to non-technical stakeholders
• Ability to work at pace: turn a customer conversation into a credible technical response in days, not weeks
• Fluent English (our working language)
• Nice to have: experience supporting proposals or pre-sales activities, familiarity with institutional or governmental space programmes, exposure to operational concepts and mission planning, experience building simulation tools or internal models.

You will fit if

• You're energised by the boundary between engineering and commercial, not stuck on one side.
• You can turn a vague customer need into a concrete mission design without waiting for someone to hand you the requirements.
• You're comfortable being the single technical voice in a room full of decision-makers.
• You move fast and know when "good enough to bid" beats "perfect but late."
• This is fully on-site in Villeneuve (VD). You'll be the first person in this role. There's no existing bid library, no predecessor's templates, no established workflow between engineering and sales. You're building that while simultaneously delivering on live opportunities. What makes that worth it: you'll directly shape which missions PAVE Space flies. Every contract signed will have your technical work behind it and you'll see that hardware reach orbit.

We are building to ship, grounded on real hardware, real funding, real milestones.