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The Exploration Company is seeking an experienced Senior Composite Engineer to lead the development, verification, and qualification of primary and secondary composite structures for space applications. This role combines structural design expertise with hands-on involvement across the complete product lifecycle—from concept through flight qualification.
Key responsibilities include leading composite structure design and development for space hardware, defining structural concepts with trade-offs across reliability, mass, manufacturability, schedule, and cost. You will develop technical specifications covering materials, manufacturing processes, laminate architectures, and verification activities. The role involves supporting material and process selection, identifying and mitigating critical failure modes, and managing supplier relationships including technical oversight of build-to-print and build-to-specification hardware.
You will review supplier analyses, manufacturing documentation, inspection and test reports, and non-conformance dispositions. Anomaly investigations, root cause analyses, and corrective action implementation are core activities. Cross-functional collaboration with systems engineering, manufacturing, AIT, quality, procurement, and program teams is essential. You will present technical recommendations and structural justifications at project reviews and decision boards.
Required qualifications include a Master's or PhD in Mechanical, Aerospace, or Materials Engineering with minimum 8 years of aerospace/space composite structures experience. Strong expertise in composite materials, manufacturing processes, structural mechanics, and damage tolerance is essential. Proficiency in FEA software (Altair suite and Nastran preferred) and CAD (Siemens NX a plus) is required. Experience with bolted and bonded joints, load introduction, and interface justification in composite structures is expected.
The ideal candidate demonstrates strong engineering judgment, analytical thinking, and problem-solving capabilities. You should be proactive and pragmatic, balancing technical excellence with schedule and business objectives. Excellent communication and collaboration skills across multidisciplinary teams and external suppliers are critical. Fluency in English is required; German, French, or Italian is an asset. The company values mission-driven work, integrity, excellence, vision, and teamwork in a fast-paced, ambitious environment focused on democratizing space.
