Senior Mechanical & Structural Engineer – Flight Hardware

Destinus; Katwijk; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Destinus in the Netherlands seeks a senior mechanical engineer to own the mechanical design from CAD to validated hardware for flight-grade systems. You will manage packaging, mass, and CG, and coordinate with subsystem specialists.

You will perform structural and environmental testing, analyze results, and feed findings back into the design. A hands-on, fast-paced team environment values practical problem solving and rigorous engineering judgment.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience designing flight hardware such as missiles, spacecraft, aircraft, or comparable systems.
• Strong ability to perform hand calculations and use FEA for structural integrity checks.
• Experience planning and running structural, vibration, or environmental tests and interpreting results.

Responsibilities

• Own mechanical design, producing and maintaining CAD for structure and vehicle layout; manage Packaging, mass, and CG constraints.
• Perform structural and stiffness analysis using hand calculations and FEA for flight loads, storage, handling, and environmental conditions.
• Own mechanical and thermal integration at vehicle level; coordinate interfaces with subsystem specialists.
• Plan and execute structural, vibration, and environmental test campaigns, including test articles, fixtures, procedures, and results.
• Analyze test data, correlate results against models and requirements, feed findings back into the design.
• Manage mechanical suppliers, drawings, tolerances, manufacturing requirements, and externally produced components.

Skills

Hands-on mechanical design

Structural analysis

Mass/CG optimization

Test planning & execution

Supplier management

Education

Bachelor/Master/PhD in Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

CATIA

FEA software

Job description

Destinus in the Netherlands seeks a senior mechanical engineer to own the mechanical design from CAD to validated hardware for flight-grade systems. You will manage packaging, mass, and CG, and coordinate with subsystem specialists.

You will perform structural and environmental testing, analyze results, and feed findings back into the design. A hands-on, fast-paced team environment values practical problem solving and rigorous engineering judgment.