Structural Engineer

About Aerospacelab

Our mission is supported by an ambitious vertically integrated approach: design & manufacturing of small satellites combined with development of earth observation services.

Since its creation in 2018, the company has already grown substantially. Our team gathers more than 25 engineering expertise, from hardware design to software development & data science.

In 2025, Aerospacelab counts offices in Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium), Toulouse (France), Lausanne (Switzerland) and US West Coast with more than 300 full-time employees, with the ambition to position itself as the European leader in small satellites.

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.

• Perform 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.
• Interact with suppliers, customers, and launch authorities regarding structural aspects.

• MSc or PhD degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, or Civil Engineering.
• Good understanding of static, dynamic, and thermal loads, along with a good of the fundamentals of finite element analysis (FEA).
• Experience in finite element analysis (FEA) solvers (e.g., NASTRAN, Samcef, Ansys, Abaqus, or similar).
• Knowledge in materials used in space applications (e.g., aluminum, titanium, CFRP).
• Good communication skills, team spirit, and a proactive mindset.
• Fluency in English

• Experience using Simcenter 3D, NX Nastran, NX CAD, Siemens Testlab and Teamcenter
• Experience in structural test campaign implementation and follow-up.
• Task automation skills through scripts (Python, VBA)
• Experienced in troubleshooting issues and finding solutions
• Knowledge of 3D CAD modelling / 2D drawing specifications (Solid Works / NX), experience with sizing of metallic components, and manufacturing technologies and drawings
• Fluency in French is a plus