Senior Project Lead Engineer

Senior Project Lead Engineer

D-Orbit

Lomazzo, Italy

In this role, you will act as the technical reference responsible for steering the engineering development of complex institutional and defense space programs.

You will work closely with engineering teams, project managers, institutional customers and key stakeholders, contributing to the successful development and delivery of complex space and defense programs by ensuring technical alignment, risk mitigation, compliance with mission requirements, and effective execution across the entire project lifecycle.

The position requires proven experience in leading space programs from early design phases through development, integration and verification, and contributes to proposal activities, technical risk management and continuous improvement of engineering and delivery approaches in line with corporate strategy and institutional market expectations. The role also contributes to proposal activities and to the definition of long-term product and technology strategies in line with market evolution and corporate objectives.

Key Responsibilities:

• Act as technical lead for space programs, ensuring end-to-end technical coherence across system, subsystem and equipment levels.
• Coordinate and guide multidisciplinary engineering teams throughout the full project lifecycle, from Phase A/B to C/D/E.
• Translate customer and mission needs into coherent system solutions, ensuring alignment between technical implementation, schedule and cost constraints.
• Support the Project Manager in technical decision-making, risk assessment, and trade-off activities, contributing to project success criteria.
• Ensure compliance with applicable standards and customer requirements (ECSS, institutional and defense-specific standards).
• Oversee system engineering activities including requirements management, interface definition, configuration control and verification strategy.
• Monitor technical progress, identify critical issues, and coordinate mitigation actions across engineering disciplines.
• Lead technical reviews and represent the project during customer, internal and supplier technical meetings.
• Support proposal and pre-sales activities by defining technical approaches, work breakdowns, development plans and effort estimations.
• Contribute within the BU technical team to the definition of product and technology roadmaps, aligned with corporate strategy and market evolution.

Skills & Qualifications:

• Minimum 10+ years of professional experience in engineering roles within the space or aerospace sector.
• Proven experience as technical lead, lead engineer or system-level responsible on complex space or institutional programs.
• Proven experience in institutional space programs (e.g.: ESA, MoDs, Regional space agencies), including high reliability and security driven mission contexts.
• Demonstrated experience covering the full development lifecycle of a satellite program, from early mission phases (Phase A/B) through detailed design, AIT, verification, qualification and in orbit delivery.
• Ability to operate effectively within multi stakeholder institutional environments, interfacing with agencies, prime contractors and international partners throughout the program lifecycle.
• Strong background in space system engineering principles, including requirements, interfaces, verification and lifecycle management.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate and technically lead multidisciplinary teams (system, avionics, AIV, payload, operations).
• Solid knowledge of ECSS standards and familiarity with institutional and defense program environments.
• Excellent capability to interface with customers, partners and suppliers at senior technical and managerial level.
• Strong analytical, leadership and decision-making skills, with the ability to manage technical risk and complexity.
• Experience in proposal preparation and technical oversight of bids is considered a strong asset.
• Good communication skills and willingness to operate in an international and institutional environment.
• Deep knowledge of AI tools.