Mechanical Engineer - Structural Analyst

At Dark, we passionately believe that space represents not only a cornerstone of the modern world but also a catalyst for shaping our future. Our mission is clear: pioneering spacecraft and mission designs for the protection of vital orbits and assets.

That is why we are gathering a team of bright minds to tackle crucial challenges through advanced engineering. Our focus? Velocity. We are kicking in technologies that will enable faster-than-ever orbital missions, ushering in a new era defined by unprecedented agility and boundless opportunity.

Within the mechanical engineering team, you will work as a structural analyst on the development of a cutting-edge orbital demonstrator. You will directly collaborate with the mechanical architect, the other structural engineers, and the design engineers to conduct trade-off studies, contribute to hardware development, and inform test activities.

First Missions

1. Getting up to speed with the current spacecraft architecture and the past analysis activities.
2. Work with the team on the first design loop of the demonstrator, all the way to development testing: you will inform early architectural trade-offs, validate definitions, prepare testing requirements, and analyse the results.

Responsibilities

1. Contributing to the definition of internal structural analysis standards, processes, and tools.
2. Building analytical, numerical, and FEA models in support of design activities.
3. Performing preliminary and detailed structural analyses as required: static, thermo-structural, modal, vibroacoustic, and shock analysis.
4. Performing parametric studies to support early architectural trade-offs as well as component optimization.
5. Interfacing with the mechanical designers, the test team, and the propulsion team to conduct structural tests and iterate solutions.
6. Generating structural test plans, supervising test activities, and analysing test results.
7. Documenting your work in a clear manner to inform future tests and analyses.

Requirements

1. 7+ years of experience in a similar position.
2. Ideal background from the Defense / Aerospace industry.
3. Industrial experience in structural analysis through analytical and numerical methods applied to real-world problems.
4. Proficient user of FEA packages (ideally Ansys Workbench).
5. Applied knowledge of quasi-static and dynamic (vibroacoustic, shocks) analyses.
6. High-level knowledge of various failure modes (buckling, fatigue, creep, modal analysis, etc.).
7. Being able to work in a highly iterative environment during early design phases.
8. Applied knowledge of Coupled Loads Analysis and super-elements is a plus.
9. Hands-on experience with testing (quasi-static, sine & random vibration, shock, and acoustic) is a plus: numerical predictions, test specifications according to relevant international standards, guiding instrumentation location, data processing, and test-analysis correlations.
10. As we have an international team, knowledge of technical English is required. Fluency in French is a plus.

Culture

We recognise that extraordinary work ethics turn mere achievements into triumphs. Hence, we hold each team member accountable for enhancing collaborative performance within Dark by embodying the following skill set:

1. Methodology – Your ability to clearly define and articulate the steps required to achieve a desired outcome.
2. Relevancy – Your capacity to discern and select the most appropriate course of action based on the prevailing context and circumstances.
3. Results – Consistently obtaining and updating the necessary resources and information to drive towards the intended outcome effectively.
4. Join - our core team, poised to expand into a company with hundreds.
5. Engage - in a deeply technical project with high level systems trade-off and long term industrial vision.
6. Learn - every day in an environment driven by continuous improvement.
7. Enjoy - a team rewarding autonomy and uphold high standard at work.

Salary package ranging from 62 K€ to 80 K€ gross, additional performance bonuses and project-based bonuses.