Propulsion Test Bench Intern

PAVE Space SA.; Villeneuve (VD); Remote; CHF 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

PAVE Space SA in Villeneuve, VD, seeks a hands-on engineer to design, build, and commission propulsion test benches on-site, from concept to hardware. You’ll own end-to-end bench development near Chavalon, collaborating with a small, on-site team in the Swiss Alps. English is required; French is a plus.

This role combines lab work with real-world hardware in a demanding, on-site environment. Bring practical experience to validate engines and components, develop procedures, and ensure safety and

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience designing, building, and operating test benches.
• Solid fluid dynamics; you read and write P&IDs fluently.
• Sensors, fluid components, piping; 2D/3D CAD (NX and Teamcenter ideal).
• A track record of taking something from nothing to working hardware.
• English fluent; French nice to have.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and commission test benches for propulsion systems, from engines to components.
• P&IDs, line and component sizing, selection, procurement, concept to hardware.
• Test procedures, safety interlocks, and commissioning.
• Safety, quality, and regulatory documentation that holds up.
• Collaborate on-site in Villeneuve and nearby Chavalon to meet aggressive timelines.

Skills

Test bench design

Fluid dynamics

P&IDs fluency

NX CAD

Teamcenter

Sensors and piping

English fluency

French (nice to have)

Tools

NX CAD

Teamcenter

Job description

Do you want to build the most iconic engine test stand in the Swiss Alps?

PAVE Space is building LYOBA, a heavy kick stage moving up to 4-ton payloads from LEO to high-energy orbits in under 24 hours. None of that gets qualified without the bench that qualifies all the propulsion components .The first of those benches are moving from design to commissioning, and building the rest is the job.

So, why now?

Test benches across the kick stage’s systems are converging on commissioning at the same time, and several more are already in the pipeline. You’ll own them end to end, on a timeline measured in weeks, not quarters. What you build becomes the bottleneck-breaker for the whole propulsion program.

You will own

Design, build, and commission the test benches for our propulsion systems, from rocket engines to components

P&IDs, line and component sizing, selection, procurement, concept to hardware

Test procedures, safety interlocks, and commissioning

Safety, quality, and regulatory documentation that holds up

What we are looking for

Hands-on experience designing, building, and operating test benches

Solid fluid dynamics; you read and write P&IDs fluently

Sensors, fluid components, piping; 2D/3D CAD (NX and Teamcenter ideal)

A track record of taking something from nothing to working hardware

English fluent, French nice to have

You will fit if

You’d rather own one hard thing than touch ten easy ones.

You’re comfortable in a lab or on a test site with your hands on the hardware.

You step outside your discipline when the timeline needs it.

You want to see your work fire, not sit in a spec.

This is hard, early, and fully on-site in Villeneuve, VD along our test site in Chavalon 20 minutes away, because we have a strong on-site culture. Some of what we build won’t work the first time, we’d rather tell you that. What makes it worth it: this is your opportunity to help fire our propulsion systems on the most scenic test stands in the World.