Feed System Functional Engineer Verified today

The Role

You will own the functional architecture and performance of the propellant feed system for a storable bipropellant propulsion system (MON3-MMH system). You will be responsible for ensuring the feed system delivers propellants to the thrusters within required specifications across the full mission envelope, from ground fill through operation and recovery.

What You Will Do

System Architecture

• Define and maintain the functional architecture of the feed system including propellant tanks, lines, valves, filters, thrusters and instrumentation.
• Perform system-level sizing, sensitivity analyses and functional simulations.

System Development

• Define functional requirements for subsystems based on propellant system analyses.
• Identify key verification and validation steps required at the system and subsystem level to demonstrate compliance with specification.

Modeling and Analysis

• Develop and maintain fluid system models (steady-state and transient) to predict pressure drop, flow rates, water hammer, thruster cross-coupling, and priming behavior.
• Verify compliance between system nominal and off-nominal operation with subsystem operational domains.
• Analyze failure modes (leakage, contamination, cavitation, fluid hammer) and define mitigation strategies and design margins.

Verification and Test

• Lead functional and performance verification: cold-flow, functional and hot-fire tests from component to assembly level.
• Correlate test data against predictive models and update margins and requirements accordingly.

Integration Support

• Support integration, qualification, and operations reviews (design reviews, FMEA, test readiness reviews).
• Interface across design, test, and operations functions throughout the vehicle lifecycle.

What We Are Looking For

• Master's and/or PhD degree in Aerospace Engineering or a related field.
• Proven experience with Python and 0D to 1D fluid simulation tools such as EcosimPro or equivalent.
• Hands-on experience in propulsion system design for launch vehicles, spacecraft, or space capsules, with direct exposure to liquid propulsion architectures.
• Proven experience in version control systems and tools such as Git or SVN.
• Deep understanding of fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and compressible flow.
• Experience with storable propulsion systems is a plus.
• Fluency in English; German or French are an asset.

Location

You will work principally at The Exploration Company's premises in Bordeaux, France and may be required to travel to the company's premises in Munich from time to time.