High-Thrust Engine Lead

The Exploration Company

Here at The Exploration Company, we are developing, producing, and operating Nyx, a modular and reusable space orbital vehicle that can eventually be refuelled in orbit and that can carry cargo - and potentially humans in the longer run. We are seeking a High-Thrust Engine Chief Engineer to lead the technical vision, architecture, and strategic direction of the Storm program, our next-gen high-thrust cryogenic rocket engine using LOX/LCH4. You will be the technical authority for the high-thrust engine development program. This role is responsible for ensuring technical coherence across all domains and aligning engineering execution with company goals and mission objectives. The Storm Chief Engineer serves as the senior technical authority for the program, guiding engineering leadership, setting design and performance standards, and ensuring system-level integrity and mission success. You'll own the technical integrity, performance, and safety of the engine throughout its lifecycle, from architecture definition to prototype testing. The Storm Chief Engineer will work closely with the Storm Lead and the Head of Propulsion (reports to), ensuring that engineering excellence and delivery efficiency remain balanced. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES: * Technical Leadership and Vision Define and communicate the technical vision and roadmap for the Storm propulsion system in collaboration with the High Thrust Engine Lead, ensuring alignment with company strategy, mission objectives, and long-term scalability. * System Architecture Ownership Serve as the primary owner of the Storm system architecture, ensuring optimal integration across propulsion, structures, avionics, and operations. Lead technical reviews. Arbitrate complex system trade-off * Mentorship and Technical Oversight Provide guidance and mentorship to the team, fostering a culture of technical rigor, innovation, and accountability. * Risk Management & Safety Identify, assess, and manage technical risks at the system level with the support of the team and their principals. Lead critical design and readiness reviews, ensuring robust decision-making and risk mitigation strategies. Approve all non-conformance waivers or design deviations. * Collaboration Support business development, partner engagement, and customer interactions by representing the technical capabilities and vision of the Storm program. Coordinate with the Storm Lead on technical milestones, test readiness, and risk assessments. Work closely with program management and other engineering domains to balance performance, cost, and schedule, while maintaining technical integrity. * Continuous Improvement Drive continuous improvement in engineering tools, methodologies, and team capability to ensure Storm remains at the forefront of propulsion technology. Drive maturation of critical technologies. Ensure lessons learnt are captured. WHAT WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE FROM YOU: * A minimum of a master’s degree in propulsion engineering, systems engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related field. * Over 15 years of experience in liquid rocket engine development, including at least one full-scale or prototype program, with experience in production/industrialisation * Deep understanding of cryogenic propulsion systems, including design, integration, and test. * Proven track record of defining and delivering complex aerospace systems from concept through flight. * Experience collaborating with European space agencies. * Proven ability to lead multi-disciplinary technical teams and arbitrate complex design trades. * Demonstrated experience managing system-level requirements, interfaces, and verification activities. * Experience in engine hot-fire testing and anomaly resolution. * Exceptional leadership and communication skills, with the ability to influence across engineering, program, and executive teams. * Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to make sound technical decisions under uncertainty, schedule and cost pressure. * Proven ability to work with geographically distributed teams and coordinating with external partners or suppliers. * Positive, adaptable, and collaborative mindset, capable of inspiring excellence across the organization. * Fluency in English. 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.

The Exploration Company

Here at The Exploration Company, we are developing, producing, and operating Nyx, a modular and reusable space orbital vehicle that can eventually be refuelled in orbit and that can carry cargo - and potentially humans in the longer run. The heart of a spacecraft lies in its engines, and that's why we, at The Exploration Company, are dedicated to developing our own cutting-edge Propulsion Systems ensuring the highest level of efficiency and reliability in our space endeavours. We are seeking a talented Thermo-mechanical Engineer to join our Future Project division. As a key member of our engineering team, you will be responsible for designing, analyzing, and optimizing combustion devices for cryogenic rocket engines, with a focus on the main thrust chamber assembly. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES * Support structural and thermal analysis of combustion device hardware including injector heads, faceplates, combustion chambers, manifolds, and structural interfaces. * Perform finite element analysis (FEA) and establish practical design suggestions and establish design recommendations, and margin assessments for hardware development. * Develop and apply analytical and reduced-order models to estimate heat transfer, structural loads, and thermal boundary conditions to inform design trades and hardware maturation. * Support hardware development and maturation, including design iteration, development planning, test definition, and post-test assessment of structural and thermal performance. * Drive life assessment activities, including low-cycle fatigue, thermal fatigue, cyclic loading, margin tracking, and damage accumulation for reusable hardware. * Own structural reliability and lifecycle assessments of combustion hardware, including low-cycle fatigue, thermal fatigue, cyclic loading, and thermo-mechanical failure risk evaluation. * Collaborate with combustion and fluid engineers to translate predicted heat flux distributions, pressure fields, and flow characteristics into structural and thermal design requirements * Define structural and thermal instrumentation strategies for development testing and participate post-test data reduction, model validation, and correlation activities. * Contribute to material selection and design trades considering temperature capability, strength, fatigue resistance, oxidation compatibility, and cryogenic behavior. * Prepare technical documentation and contribute to design, and test reviews with clear technical justification and risk assessment. WHAT WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE FROM YOU * Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical discipline. * Experience (academic, internship, or professional) in structural or thermal analysis of high-performance mechanical systems. * Strong fundamentals in solid mechanics, heat transfer, and pressure-loaded structures. * Experience with FEA tools such as ANSYS, NASTRAN, Abaqus, or equivalent. * Ability to interpret complex thermal and pressure boundary conditions and apply them appropriately in structural models. * Understanding of fatigue, temperature-dependent material behavior, and nonlinear structural response. * Exposure to high-temperature or cryogenic systems is advantageous. * Familiarity with CAD (NX ideally) tools and ability to work directly with geometry. * Experience with Python or similar scripting tools for analysis automation or data processing is beneficial. Skills and Behaviours * Methodical and structured approach to problem solving. * Strong attention to detail and analytical rigor. * Clear written and verbal communication of technical rationale. * Ability to iterate analyses as design and test data evolve. * Interest in propulsion systems and combustion device development. * Demonstrates behaviors consistent with The Exploration Company’s core values of Mission, Vision, Integrity, Excellence, and Teamwork. 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.

The Exploration Company

Here at The Exploration Company, we are developing, producing, and operating Nyx, a modular and reusable space orbital vehicle that can eventually be refuelled in orbit and that can carry cargo - and potentially humans in the longer run. Our Talent Acquisition team is seeking an Aerospace Talent Acquisition Partner with full-lifecycle recruiting experience to drive strategic hiring across Propulsion. In this role, you'll partner closely with hiring managers to understand workforce needs and deliver effective, tailored recruitment strategies. From proactive sourcing to candidate engagement and successful close, you’ll be responsible for identifying and securing top-tier talent capable of delivering on complex, mission-critical space programs. If you're driven by the challenge of finding rare talent in competitive, high-stakes industries—and want your efforts to support missions that make history—this is your role.  Key Responsibilities Strategic Talent Acquisition & Headhunting * Proactively source and engage top-tier candidates across from within the Aerospace industry * Build and maintain deep pipelines of passive candidates through direct headhunting, referrals, LinkedIn Recruiter, industry databases, alumni networks, and niche online communities * Conduct in-depth candidate outreach tailored to individuals with unique or hard-to-find skill sets * Use a data-driven approach to prioritize critical roles and identify sourcing bottlenecks Full Lifecycle Recruitment * Own the full-cycle recruitment process: intake, sourcing, screening, interview coordination, feedback loops, offers, and closing * Provide an exceptional candidate experiences with consistent, clear communication and personalized engagement * Collaborate with hiring managers to create compelling job descriptions, hiring criteria, and structured interview processes * Lead closing strategies and compensation negotiations, ensuring alignment with candidate expectations and company goals Brand & Outreach * Represent The Exploration Company at conferences, industry meetups, university programs, and online events * Develop targeted outreach campaigns and recruitment marketing initiatives to attract top technical talent * Position The Exploration Company as a leader in both space innovation and workplace culture Market & Competitor Intelligence * Stay current on industry trends, compensation data, competitor movements, and labor market shifts in aerospace, defense, and emerging tech * Map organizations and talent pools, particularly in stealth companies or niche fields * Share market insights with leadership to help guide workforce planning and strategic hiring Your Profile * 3+ years of experience in technical recruiting within Aerospace * In-house recruitment experince * Demonstrated success headhunting rare or passive candidates in a competitive talent market * Experience hiring for roles such as: spacecraft systems engineers, propulsion engineers, GNC specialists, mission control experts, flight software engineers, or similar * Strong grasp of technical skills, job functions, and skill differentiators in space-related domains * Adept at building trust quickly with both candidates and internal stakeholders * Resilient, proactive, organized, and mission-driven * Lead full-cycle recruitment from role intake and sourcing strategy to closing * Build candidate journeys that reflect our values, mission, and international culture * Advise hiring teams on market benchmarks, availability of skills, and trends in EU aerospace recruitment 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.