Senior Structural Engineer

Senior Structural Engineer

Aerospacelab

Mont-Saint-Guibert or Toulouse

Role Overview

As a Structural Engineer at Aerospacelab, you will play a critical role in designing and verifying of satellites and related systems across various missions. You are involved in project from early design phase to qualification of the product. From the early design phase to the qualification of the final product, you collaborate closely with a diverse team such as system engineers, mechanical designers, and thermal engineers and AIT (integration and test) department. Altogether, you validate that the equipment is not only ready to fly but also capable of fulfilling its mission reliably.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the structural analysis and optimization of spacecraft and platform components, including composite and metallic structures, to ensure reliable performance under various load conditions;
• Develop, refine, and validate finite element models (FEM) for static, dynamic, and thermal analysis, ensuring accuracy through correlation with test data and preparing models for both internal and external use;
• Define structural test requirements, support environmental testing campaigns, and analyze results to validate and improve structural models and designs;
• Translate launch and flight environments into structural requirements, including subsystem-level definitions and the setup of environmental validation procedures;
• Collaborate closely with design, manufacturing, integration, and test teams to validate product designs and ensure structural solutions are efficient and manufacturable;
• Prepare comprehensive technical documentation and reports and actively contribute to design reviews such as Preliminary Design Review (PDR) and Critical Design Review (CDR), as well as concept trade-off studies;
• Mentor junior engineers, lead technical initiatives, and encourage the adoption of best practices in structural analysis and design;
• Drive innovation and continuous improvement by identifying structural risks, recommending mitigation strategies, and implementing new tools and methodologies;
• Represent the structural discipline in interactions with suppliers, customers, and launch authorities, particularly during key project phases and technical discussions;
• Provide technical recommendations based on sound engineering judgment and thorough interpretation of analysis results;
• Lead cross-disciplinary technical projects and programs, coordinating efforts within the structural analysis domain and across engineering teams.

Must have

• MSc or PhD degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, or Civil Engineering;
• Extensive experience in structural analysis of aerospace or high-performance systems;
• Strong proficiency in finite element analysis (FEA) solvers (e.g., NASTRAN, Samcef, Ansys, Abaqus, or similar);
• Solid understanding of static, dynamic, and thermal loading conditions in aerospace applications;
• Experience in spacecraft-level structural test campaign design, execution, data processing, and validation;
• Strong understanding of materials used in space applications (e.g., aluminum, titanium, CFRP);
• Familiarity with relevant standards (ECSS, NASA, ISO) and launch environment constraints;
• Good communication skills, team spirit, and a proactive mindset;
• Fluency in English.

Nice to have

• Experience with satellite or spacecraft development (LEO, MEO, GEO, or beyond);
• Experience using Simcenter 3D, NX Nastran, NX CAD, Siemens Testlab and Teamcenter;
• Task automation skills through scripts (Python, VBA);
• Experienced in troubleshooting issues and finding solutions;
• Knowledge of 3D CAD modelling/2D drawing specifications (SolidWorks/NX), experience with sizing of metallic components, and manufacturing technologies and drawings;
• Fluency in French is a plus.