Mission Brief
As PA Engineer - Structures & CFRP, you provide hands-on product assurance for primary and secondary structural flight hardware during production and acceptance. You ensure that approved manufacturing processes, work instructions, inspection steps and quality controls are consistently followed on the shop floor to support structural integrity, mission success and repeatable production.
This is a production-facing assurance role, not a design engineering role. You will work closely with Structures Engineering, Manufacturing, NDT/NDI, Materials Laboratory, Supplier Quality and Configuration Management to verify that approved materials, processes, inspections and acceptance requirements are correctly applied and documented in daily production.
Your Role in Our Space Mission:
- Own product assurance activities for metallic and CFRP structural flight hardware during production and acceptance.
- Maintain a regular presence on the shop floor and verify that production follows approved drawings, work instructions, process specifications and inspection plans.
- Identify and escalate deviations in lay-up, cure, bonding, machining, assembly, handling, environmental controls and other critical structural processes.
- Ensure critical characteristics, acceptance criteria, hold points and required verification evidence are understood, followed and recorded in production.
- Review production records and qualification evidence from a product assurance perspective and confirm readiness before critical manufacturing steps.
- Verify correct execution and control of special processes including composite lay-up and cure, adhesive bonding, welding, heat treatment, surface treatment and structural assembly.
- Confirm that required coupons, witness samples, mechanical testing, dimensional inspection and NDT/NDI activities are completed and documented as specified.
- Provide oversight of NDT/NDI strategies, technique qualification, personnel qualification and inspection coverage for critical structures.
- Review internal and supplier capabilities, qualification status and production readiness for structural and CFRP hardware.
- Ensure that changes to materials, processes, tooling, software, suppliers, facilities and inspection methods are approved before implementation in production.
- Lead or support risk-based disposition of structural and composite non-conformances, deviations, concessions and repair proposals.
- Monitor shop-floor process compliance and production performance, identify recurring issues and drive practical preventive actions and lessons learned.
- Ensure structural acceptance evidence is complete, coherent and available to support certification, product acceptance and flight readiness.
- Maintain alignment between Product Assurance and Manufacturing Assurance while preserving independent assurance authority.
Qualification Checklist
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Composite Engineering or a related discipline.
- Experience in product assurance, quality engineering, structural engineering, materials engineering or manufacturing assurance within aerospace, space, defence or another highly regulated environment.
- Strong understanding of metallic structures and CFRP composite materials, manufacturing processes, structural joints and common failure modes.
- Knowledge of composite lay-up, curing, bonding, trimming, drilling, assembly, repair and environmental controls.
- Experience with material qualification, process qualification, First Article Inspection and production acceptance activities.
- Understanding of NDT/NDI methods applicable to metallic and composite structures, including ultrasonic inspection, radiography or CT, thermography, shearography and penetrant inspection.
- Ability to review structural drawings, material and process specifications, qualification reports, inspection plans and acceptance evidence.
- Working knowledge of configuration management, traceability, change control, non-conformance management and risk-based decision making.
- Familiarity with aerospace quality and product assurance frameworks such as EN 9100, ECSS or equivalent requirements is advantageous.
- Strong analytical judgement with the confidence to challenge technical, repair and acceptance decisions constructively.
- Effective communication and collaboration skills across Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, suppliers and programme stakeholders.
- Professional proficiency in English; German language skills are beneficial.
Aim high, deliver relentlessly, act with integrity, and keep the mission first.
Benefits
- Employee Participation Program: Share in our success through our virtual company share program
- 30 days of vacation: Enjoy the days off to relax and recharge
- Company pension plan: Secure your future with our company pension plan, featuring a 20% employer contribution after the probation period
- Subsidised lunch: Stay energised with delicious, subsidised lunches every day
- Flexible mobility budget: Travel your way with a choice between a fully financed Deutschlandticket, JobRad bicycle leasing, FINN JobAuto, or a fuel allowance
- Rental clothing with laundry service: Enjoy hassle-free workwear with our convenient rental clothing and laundry service
- Sport Clubs membership: Stay fit with our sponsored sports club memberships (EGYM Wellpass)
- Individual learning allowance: Grow your skills with an individual learning budget granted after the probation period
- Childcare allowance: Receive a childcare allowance for your non-school-age children
- And Much More! Discover additional perks and benefits when you join our team.
Who we are
We are Isar Aerospace and we are at the forefront of New Space building a modern space business to enable faster, better and cheaper access to space.
Our mission is to help democratise space and use it for good in order to improve life on Earth now and for the future generations.
We are a fast-growing company aiming to provide sustainable and environmentally friendly launch solutions for small and medium-sized satellites and constellations into Low Earth Orbit. The company is privately funded by world-leading technology investors with strong commitment and support and our team is made of driven and talented people with a real passion for space innovation.
We're making rockets in a way that hasn't been done before disrupting a traditional industry. If you are up for the challenge, want to work on cutting-edge projects and be part of a team changing the world for better, come, join us and launch your career!
Want to find out more about us?
Visit www.isaraerospace.com
Data Protection
We process your personal data for the purpose of managing the recruitment process and assessing your application. For detailed information on how your data is processed, including your rights, please refer to our Privacy Policy.
Disclaimer
Isar Aerospace SE is an equal-opportunity employer committed to fairness and inclusivity. We do not prioritize any specific religion, gender, nationality, or background. Due to security clearance requirements, affiliations with countries listed under § 13 para. 1 no. 17 SÜG may affect the application process. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply.
