Junior / Intermediate Project Manager - Space Propulsion

StudentJob; Delft; On-site; EUR 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Opportunities for career growth

Work on real space missions

Collaborate with an international team

Job summary

StudentJob is looking for a motivated Project Manager to join their in‑space propulsion team in Delft, Netherlands. The selected candidate will manage satellite propulsion projects, ensuring customer requirements are met and projects are delivered successfully.

This role involves working closely with engineering and other internal teams while traveling to customer sites as needed. Ideal candidates will have a degree in a relevant engineering field and experience in project management within technical roles.

Qualifications

• 1–3 years of experience in a technical/engineering role or in project management with technical involvement.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects in parallel.
• Experience working with multidisciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of in‑space propulsion projects, ensuring successful and timely delivery.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for customers, coordinating with internal engineering teams.
• Translate customer requirements into actionable project plans.

Skills

Project management

Communication skills

Problem-solving

Organizational skills

Attention to detail

Education

Degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Systems Engineering, or related field

Job description

Description

We are looking for a motivated and technically curious Project Manager to join our in‑space propulsion team in Delft, The Netherlands. In this role, you will manage a portfolio of satellite propulsion projects, ensuring that customer requirements are met and projects are delivered successfully and on time.

You will work closely with engineering, AIT, and other internal teams, serving as the bridge to customers worldwide. This role offers an excellent opportunity to develop your project management skills in a fast‑paced, innovation‑driven aerospace environment. Flexibility to accommodate morning and evening meetings is required, as our customers and colleagues are based across Asia, the US, and other Dawn offices.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of in‑space propulsion projects, ensuring successful and timely delivery of hardware.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for customers, coordinating with internal engineering and AIT teams.
• Translate customer requirements into actionable project plans, timelines, and budgets.
• Track and manage project progress, proactively identifying and resolving bottlenecks.
• Support and improve best practices for customer onboarding and project execution.
• Liaise with internal teams to track project procurement and project technology development (R&D dependencies).
• Occasionally travel to customer sites or Dawn offices as needed (approximately 10%).
• Conduct morning or evening meetings to align with global stakeholders.
• Support Quality Management throughout the entire project execution.
• Maintain a consistently high standard of customer satisfaction.

Qualifications

• Degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Systems Engineering, or a related field.
• 1–3 years of experience in a technical/engineering role with project management exposure, or in project management with technical involvement.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects in parallel.
• Experience working with multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong communication, organisational, and problem‑solving skills.
• Adaptability and a positive approach to evolving project constraints.
• Attention to detail with the ability to focus on key priorities.

Desired Experience

• Experience with space projects and familiarity with spacecraft systems or design standards.
• Exposure to systems engineering methods.
• Experience working in geographically distributed teams.
• Customer‑facing project delivery experience in an international context.

Why Join Us

• Work on real space missions that make an impact.
• Collaborate with a passionate international team of engineers and project managers.
• Gain hands‑on experience in a fast‑growing, cutting‑edge aerospace company.
• Opportunities to grow and advance your career in project management.

Note that the role is a permanent position that will start with a fixed‑term contract of 12 months.

Diversity & Inclusion

At Dawn Aerospace, we believe that diverse teams build better solutions. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where people of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences are valued and supported to do their best work.

About Dawn Aerospace

Dawn Aerospace is a space transportation company with a purpose. Our mission is to enable the next generation of space users by providing more sustainable and scalable ways to access and move around in space. We believe this access, in the form of a transportation network, will fundamentally change what’s possible from space.

We currently focus on three areas of space transportation:

• In‑space propulsion – We’re a leading supplier of turnkey green propulsion systems for various classes of satellites. Our systems utilise safe, accessible propellants and we have over 170 of these propulsion units on more than 40 operational satellites already. A further 200 units are in production.
• In‑space servicing – Coupled with our propulsion expertise, we are ensuring that our customers’ satellites are refuellable. In the coming years, Dawn will offer a refuelling service to enable life extension of customer satellites. This new market is aligned with our sustainability goal to ensure a clean and safe space for everyone.
• Spaceplane – We are developing the fastest and highest‑flying aircraft ever to take off from a runway, combining the extreme performance of rocket propulsion with the reusability of conventional airplanes to enable high‑frequency, low‑cost access to sub‑orbital space.

Our international teams are distributed across four locations: the Netherlands, France, New Zealand, and the USA.