Spacecraft Thermal Engineer

Support Flight Model Integration and AIT

• Work alongside AIT teams during spacecraft assembly and integration.
• Define thermal instrumentation strategies and test configurations.
• Support installation, verification and troubleshooting of thermal hardware.
• Participate in integrated spacecraft functional testing.
• Support leak testing, functional testing, fluid loop commissioning and system check-outs.

Drive Thermal Test Data Exploitation

• Support pre-test thermal predictions.
• Analyze thermal test results.
• Assess subsystem and spacecraft performance.
• Identify design improvements and operational recommendations.
• Ensure lessons learned are captured and disseminated across the organization.

Your profile

What We Are Looking For

Required Experience

• MSc or PhD in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Thermodynamics or equivalent.
• 10+ years' experience in spacecraft thermal engineering
• Proven experience leading Thermal Vacuum and Thermal Balance campaigns.
• Experience with Spacecraft qualification and acceptance programs
• Experience supporting spacecraft assembly, integration and test activities.
• Strong understanding of thermal control systems and their implementation (MLI, Temperature sensors, Heaters, Pumped Fluid Loops...)
• Experience working with suppliers and external test facilities.
• Experience with thermal instrumentation, DAQ systems and test facility interfaces
• Experience with test-data processing tools, preferably Python, MATLAB or equivalent
• Fluent in English. German, French and Italian are an asset

Skills & Behavior

• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Strong analysis and problem-solving skills
• Strong organizing and prioritization of tasks
• Positive and flexible attitude to get the job done
• Demonstrates behaviors consistent with The Exploration Company’s core values of Vision, Competence, Integrity and Passion

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?

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.

Contact

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.

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Posted Nov 01, 2026

Posted Nov 01, 2026

Source: Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis), table; dl-de/by-2-0; StarIn's calculation