Senior Composite Engineer

Job description

Here at The Exploration Company, we are building innovative aerospace technologies that advance the future of space transportation. We are seeking an experienced Senior Composite Engineer to support the development, verification, and qualification of primary and secondary composite structures for space applications. The successful candidate will bring strong expertise in composite materials, structural mechanics, and verification methodologies, combined with a solid understanding of the complete lifecycle of structural hardware development. The role requires the ability to define robust technical solutions, assess structural integrity, support manufacturing activities, and contribute to the delivery of flight-quality composite structures. The ideal candidate combines strong engineering fundamentals with a pragmatic mindset and understands how requirements, design, analysis, manufacturing, inspection, testing, and qualification activities contribute to the successful delivery of high-reliability hardware. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES: - Lead the design, development, verification, and qualification of composite structural hardware for space applications. - Define structural concepts and perform design trade-offs considering reliability, mass, manufacturability, schedule, and cost. - Develop technical specifications covering structural requirements, materials, manufacturing processes, inspection, and verification activities. - Support the selection of materials, manufacturing processes, laminate architectures, and structural interfaces. - Identify and assess critical failure modes throughout the product lifecycle and ensure appropriate mitigation measures are implemented. - Support supplier management activities, including technical oversight of build-to-print and build-to-specification hardware. - Review supplier analyses, manufacturing documentation, inspection reports, test reports, and non-conformance dispositions. - Support anomaly investigations, root cause analyses, and corrective action implementation. - Interface with systems engineering, manufacturing, AIT, quality, procurement, and program teams. - Present technical recommendations and structural justifications during project reviews and decision boards. - Contribute to the development of robust, manufacturable, inspectable, and flightworthy structural solutions. WHAT WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE FROM YOU QUALIFICATIONS - Master's degree or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Materials Engineering, or a related discipline. - Minimum 8 years of experience in structural analysis and mechanical justification of aerospace, space, or other high-performance composite structures. - Proven experience in the design, development, verification, and qualification of composite structures. - Strong knowledge of composite materials, manufacturing processes, structural mechanics, and damage tolerance principles. - Proficiency in finite element modelling and simulation methods for static, buckling, dynamic, thermo-mechanical, and joint analyses. - Proficiency in finite element analysis (FEA) software (Altair suite and Nastran are preferable). - Good understanding of composite design allowables, materials and process qualification, structural testing, and analysis-to-test correlation. - Experience with bolted and bonded joints, load introduction, and interface justification in composite structures. - Experience with CAD software (Siemens NX) is a plus, - Fluent in English. Knowledge of German, French or Italian is an asset. SKILLS AND BEHAVIORS: - Strong engineering judgement, analytical thinking, and problem-solving capabilities. - Ability to take ownership of complex technical topics and drive them to closure. - Proactive and pragmatic mindset, capable of balancing technical excellence, schedule constraints, and business objectives. - Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively across multidisciplinary teams and external suppliers. - Ability to identify risks early, challenge assumptions, and make data-driven decisions. - Comfortable operating across design, analysis, manufacturing, testing, and qualification activities. - Demonstrates behaviors aligned with The Exploration Company values, including Mission, Integrity, Excellence, Vision and Teamwork. - Motivated to contribute to the development and delivery of reliable, flightworthy space hardware in a fast-paced and ambitious environment. Why you should join us! What makes us special here at The Exploration Company and why we think you will enjoy working here is: - We’re Agile - we make decisions fast whilst keeping our goals and systems in mind - We’re Open and Collaborative - we are transparent about risks and obstacles, so that we can cooperate to overcome them - We have a lot of Fun - we refuel our energy knowing we are democratising space. It’s a wonderful and rare opportunity, are YOU up for the challenge? We'd love to hear from you if you wish to be a part of our journey. Please submit your CV now for immediate consideration and we will be in touch shortly. The Exploration Company is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability status. Relocation assistance is provided for those willing to relocate including visa sponsorship where applicable. All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of a background check, which will be subject to the country, role, and project you applied for. By submitting your application, you acknowledge and agree that any offer of employment may be conditional upon successful condition of this check. The Exploration Company partners with Zinc Work Limited located in the UK (Zinc), a third-party provider, to ensure this process as efficient and transparent as possible. If applicable, you will receive an email from Zinc upon acceptance of your offer with a link to a secure portal where you can provide the required information to Zinc.