Head of Product Development; w​/m​/d

WORKING AT YURI IS LIKE:

As Head of Product Development at Yuri you lead and develop your functional area, ensuring effective execution, clear structures, and scalable processes.

You build and guide high‑performing teams, align priorities across stakeholders, and translate strategy into reliable outcomes. You lead the engineering teams across Germany, Luxembourg, and the US, report directly to the Chief Technology Officer, and ensure the technical success of projects by implementing best practices from the NASA Systems Engineering Handbook and ECSS standards.

• Translate the technical roadmap and requirements from the CTO into reliable and scalable spaceflight systems.
• Act as the cross‑project technical lead, supporting and steering the respective systems engineers.
• Supervise a multidisciplinary engineering team of ~15 members across all project phases (A–E).
• Steer cross‑project system architectures and interfaces to ensure compatibility across Yuri’s developments.
• Identify synergies, reusable platform elements and cost‑saving opportunities across projects.
• Own and continuously improve technical processes, including requirements management, reviews and version control.
• Ensure all projects manage the full requirements lifecycle: definition, decomposition, tracking and final verification.
• Oversee validation and verification activities across all projects.
• Organize and conduct reviews in line with ECSS standards, ensuring proper documentation throughout all project phases (A–E).
• Support proposals and business cases for European Space Agency, other space agencies, and commercial partners.
• Support intellectual property rights, licensing, and regulatory aspects related to technologies and services.
• Report critical technical decisions and challenges directly to the CTO.
• Create a culture where technical excellence, structured engineering and pragmatic delivery coexist effectively.

• 5+ years of experience in similar roles (INCOSE certification is a plus).
• Broad and deep interdisciplinary knowledge across mechanical, thermal, electrical, software and AIT domains.
• Experience leading, guiding and developing engineering teams of ~20 people.
• Ability to identify synergies and cost‑saving opportunities across projects and systems.
• Strong understanding of systems engineering principles, requirements management, verification, testing and product development life cycles.
• Ability to lead through technical uncertainty and make transparent engineering trade‑offs.
• Experience in design, AIT and PA/Safety in human spaceflight, including familiarity with space program roles, standards (e.g. ECSS, SSP) and configuration control.
• Strong team player with excellent communication skills; supportive, well‑organized and able to work independently.
• Structured working style with the ability to prioritize multiple tasks and deliver reliably.
• Excellent English;
  German is very helpful.
• Willing to stay hands‑on and contribute operationally alongside leadership responsibilities.

Why this role matters

Yuri’s next growth step depends on engineering that is not only brilliant, but scalable. You will shape the team and systems that make Yuri’s platforms repeatable, reliable and commercially powerful.

Space & Biotech

• Work on projects that are sent to the International Space Station and other space platforms.

Flexible Work

• Flexible work environment with adjustable working hours and the option to work from home.

Location:

Germany

• Office located near Lake Constance with convenient access to the Alps.

Technology That Fits You

• Support for Mac or Windows setups and charging facilities for e‑car, e‑bike or e‑scooter.

Diversity & Inclusion

• Commitment to a diverse workplace and inclusive values.

Sustainability & Impact

• Offset emissions from operations and provide an Impact Day for environmental or social causes.