Preliminary Design Engineer

Preliminary Design Engineer

HyPrSpace

Le Haillan, France

Role overview:

By joining HyPrSpace as a Preliminary Design Engineer, you will be part of the Systems team (7 people) and play a key role in the early phases of our propulsion systems and launch vehicle development.

Reporting to the Systems Team Leader, you will work on the feasibility of new projects, develop new concepts, and propose improvements for both propulsion systems and vehicles. You will contribute to internal R&D projects as well as partner-driven studies.

Your role is central to technical decision-making: you will ensure the technical synthesis of preliminary studies, covering all relevant engineering disciplines (mechanical, thermal, aerodynamics, combustion, performance…), while integrating cost and manufacturability constraints from the earliest design phases.

Your key responsibilities:

In this role, you will:

• Conduct preliminary design and feasibility studies for new propulsion systems and launch vehicle concepts.
• Perform and/or coordinate multidisciplinary analyses, including mechanical, thermal, aerodynamics, combustion and performance aspects.
• Produce technical trade-offs and support decision-making by comparing concepts based on performance, risk, cost, and schedule.
• Ensure technical consistency and synthesis across all engineering disciplines involved in the studies.
• Take cost constraints, industrialization considerations, and manufacturability into account from early design phases.
• Contribute to technical documentation, clear synthesis notes, and engineering recommendations for internal and external stakeholders.

Your profile:

Education:

• Engineer (Master’s degree or equivalent) with a strong background in physics, mechanical engineering, aerospace, thermal sciences, or a related field.

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years of experience in engineering development roles.
• Experience in the space, aeronautics, or automotive industry.

Skills & competencies:

• Strong physical intuition and solid expertise in at least one technical domain (mechanics, thermal analysis, combustion, rocket science, or similar).
• Ability to understand, coordinate, and synthesize inputs from multiple engineering disciplines.
• Results-oriented mindset with excellent problem-solving skills.
• Rigorous, analytical approach with the ability to clearly structure and write technical analyses.
• Comfortable working autonomously while contributing effectively within a team.
• Curious, proactive, and eager to explore new concepts and solutions.
• Fluent in English.