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Materials Engineer - Solar Array Assembly Verified today

Aerospacelab · Electronics · first seen 2026-09-26
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About Aerospacelab

Aerospacelab designs and manufactures small satellites combined with earth observation services. The company has grown to more than 450 full-time employees across offices in Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium), Toulouse (France), Lausanne (Switzerland) and US West Coast.

Your mission

Join the Solar Array Assembly (SAA) development and production team as a Materials Engineer. You will select and qualify materials and processes, manage test campaigns, maintain technical lists, and defend your results at customer design reviews.

Key responsibilities

  • Select and qualify SAA materials and processes such as adhesives, encapsulants, substrates, coverglass bonding and cell interconnect welding.
  • Write test plans, prepare and follow up samples through manufacturing and testing (thermal cycling, mechanical, ageing), analyse results and write reports.
  • Maintain the materials and processes lists (DML/DPL) of the SAA and their justification.
  • Present and defend results at customer design reviews (PDR, CDR, QR) and answer questions and RIDs.
  • Follow up suppliers and test laboratories on specifications, test campaigns, incoming inspection and non-conformances.
  • Support SAA mechanical, electrical and AIT teams on materials questions, failure investigations and root-cause analysis.

Must have

  • Master's degree, PhD, or equivalent in Materials Science, Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering, or Aerospace Engineering.
  • 5+ years experience in a materials engineering role, preferably in space or aerospace industry.
  • Experience with polymer materials (adhesives, encapsulants, composites, coatings) and their testing.
  • Knowledge of space solar array technology: multijunction cells, coverglass, interconnect welding, flexible or rigid substrates.
  • Hands-on attitude: comfortable in the lab and on the shop floor, preparing samples and running tests yourself when needed.
  • Able to build a clear technical argument and defend it in front of a customer.
  • Good communication skills and team-oriented mindset.

Nice to have

  • Familiarity with ECSS standards (ECSS-Q-ST-70 series) and ESA milestone reviews.
  • Experience with materials characterisation (FTIR, SEM, peel/shear testing) and outgassing testing.
  • Competence in process quality domains (SPC, DOE, FMEA).
  • Fluency in French is a plus.