Propulsion Design Office Lead — Spacecraft Systems

The Exploration Company; Bordeaux; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The Exploration Company in Bordeaux is seeking a Propulsion Systems Lead to drive design, analysis, and integration across thermal, structural, and mechanical domains for launch vehicle programs.

You will mentor a multidisciplinary team, conduct design reviews, manage interfaces with vehicle design and systems engineering, and ensure margins meet mass, thermal, and safety targets while delivering on schedule.

Qualifications

• 5+ years hands-on propulsion design experience
• Experience leading small-to-mid-size engineering teams
• Experience across thermal, structural and mechanical domains
• Experience with thermal and structural analyses (Thermal Desktop, ANSYS, NASTRAN)
• Familiarity with CAD environments (CATIA, NX) and design reviews

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of propulsion engineers across multiple disciplines.
• Define scopes, set priorities, and manage workload to meet program milestones.
• Conduct regular design reviews and provide technical direction for career development.
• Drive design-to-requirements traceability and interface management with vehicle design.
• Oversee CAD standards, documentation, BOM, and configuration control.

Skills

Team leadership

Propulsion design

Cross-disciplinary coordination

Design reviews

Communication

Tools

Thermal Desktop

ANSYS

NASTRAN

CATIA

NX

Job description

The Exploration Company in Bordeaux is seeking a Propulsion Systems Lead to drive design, analysis, and integration across thermal, structural, and mechanical domains for launch vehicle programs.

You will mentor a multidisciplinary team, conduct design reviews, manage interfaces with vehicle design and systems engineering, and ensure margins meet mass, thermal, and safety targets while delivering on schedule.