Lead Satellite Propulsion Engineer — End-to-End Ownership

Ascend Beyond; Annecy; Hybrid; EUR 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Ascend Beyond Space in Annecy, France is seeking a Satellite Propulsion Engineer to own the Ascend propulsion system end-to-end, from design enhancements to qualification and delivery. You will coordinate with AIT engineers, suppliers, and customers to ensure on-time, high-reliability flight units.

The role requires a strong background in satellite propulsion, hands-on testing, and CAD/FEA, with room to grow into broader satellite subsystems as the company scales.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in engineering or relevant technical field.
• 2–5 years of professional experience in the space industry or a relevant technical field (excluding internships and PhDs).
• Familiarity with design and analysis of satellite propulsion systems, attitude control systems, and related components.
• Hands-on experience with usage, testing, or qualification of propulsion systems.
• Proficiency in mechanical CAD design and FEA.
• Hands-on, proactive, and quality-focused mindset, with strong attention to detail.
• Ability to take ownership of technical activities, plan and execute them independently, deliver on time and to a high standard of quality.
• Comfortable collaborating with engineering, manufacturing, suppliers, and customers.
• Adaptable and effective in a fast-paced technical, product development, or engineering environment.
• Experience with resistojet technology
• Knowledge in refractory materials and high temperature heaters
• Experience with ECSS and/or NASA-STD/HDBK

Responsibilities

• As Satellite Propulsion Engineer, you will become the owner of our Ascend propulsion system, a state-of-the-art high reliability resisto-jet propulsion and deorbiting system.
• You'll be the reference person for the product across its whole lifecycle: original design of new configurations, answering customers' technical questions, support built and testing of flight units, and delivering them.
• You'll run it day to day, make decisions about it, and keep improving it.
• Be the technical point of contact for customers and the sales team, from first enquiry to after-delivery support.
• Plan and coordinate production with suppliers and manufacturing partners, so every order ships on time.
• Support design, assembly and testing of flight units hands-on, including coordinating vibration, shock and radiation campaigns as well as documenting, reviewing or improving procedures and processes for it.
• Guarantee quality and performance, working with our AIT engineers to meet space qualification standards.
• Keep the Ascend propulsion system improving by feeding what you learn from customers, missions and testing back into the product, its processes and its documentation.
• You'll work closely with AIT engineers, suppliers, manufacturing partners and customers, and you'll be the one who makes sure the Ascend propulsion system delivers on its promise.
• Room to grow: once you've gotten hold of Ascend, the role can expand, depending on your interests. That could mean managing other Ascend Beyond Space products, or moving into detailed design and analysis of our next satellite subsystems.

Skills

Propulsion systems

Attitude control

Mechanical CAD

FEA

Hands-on testing

Independent ownership

Education

Bachelor's or Master’s degree in engineering

Tools

ECSS

NASA-STD/HDBK

Job description

Ascend Beyond Space in Annecy, France is seeking a Satellite Propulsion Engineer to own the Ascend propulsion system end-to-end, from design enhancements to qualification and delivery. You will coordinate with AIT engineers, suppliers, and customers to ensure on-time, high-reliability flight units.

The role requires a strong background in satellite propulsion, hands-on testing, and CAD/FEA, with room to grow into broader satellite subsystems as the company scales.