ppDarwin Space are currently hiring for a Lead Space Engineer on behalf of a business in Bologna, Italy.
/p h3Key Responsibilities /h3 ul liLead and manage the Space Engineering team, ensuring effective coordination, task allocation, and technical alignment across all project phases; /li liDefine, manage and maintain system-level technical requirements, specifications, and ICDs, ensuring full traceability across the entire development lifecycle; /li liLead the end-to-end development of space robotic systems/products from engineering model (EM) to flight model (FM), overseeing design, integration, verification and qualification activities performed by the team; /li liOversee system engineering processes, including requirement flow-down, verification planning, and compliance with space standards (e.g. ECSS); /li liAct as primary technical authority and interface with customers and stakeholders, managing mission requirements and ensuring alignment between external needs and internal development; /li liCoordinate technical interactions with external partners, including platform providers, launch service providers, and component suppliers; /li liLead integration, testing and qualification campaigns (functional, environmental, and system-level), supervising execution and ensuring robustness and mission readiness; /li liDrive system-level architecture, design decisions and trade-offs for robotic space applications (e.g. EOAT, ADR, IOS, IOM), leveraging inputs from the engineering team; /li liLead technical reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, etc.), risk assessments, and FMEA activities; /li liEnsure the production, review and quality of all internal and external technical documentation (reports, test documentation, review data packages), coordinating inputs across disciplines, and lead technical meetings and reviews; /li liMentor, guide and grow the engineering team,



ensuring capability development, knowledge sharing, and alignment with company technical strategy.
/li /ul h3Must-have /h3 ul liEducation: Master's degree or PhD.
in Robotics, Aerospace Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, or related fields.
/li li5-7+ years of experience in the design, development and qualification of space systems or subsystems, with exposure to full project lifecycle (Phase A-E).
/li liStrong expertise in system engineering practices, including requirement definition and flow-down, interface management (ICDs), verification validation (VV), and configuration control.
/li liSolid knowledge of space standards (e.g. ECSS) and experience in preparing and reviewing technical documentation for formal project reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, etc.).
/li liProven experience in leading integration, verification and testing (AIT/AIV) activities for complex systems, including environmental and functional testing campaigns.
/li liGood understanding of robotic systems for space applications, including kinematics, dynamics, control and mechatronic system integration.
/li liExperience with modeling and simulation tools to support system design and validation (e.g. Matlab/Simulink, ROS-based frameworks or equivalent), at system or subsystem level.
/li liDemonstrated capability to drive system-level trade-offs, architecture definition and technical decision-making under constraints.
/li liExperience in managing technical interfaces with external stakeholders (e.g. primes, platform providers, suppliers) within complex space projects.
/li liStrong problem-solving skills with a system-level perspective, including risk identification, FMEA and mitigation strategies.
/li liAbility to coordinate multidisciplinary engineering teams and ensure alignment between system requirements, design solutions and mission objectives.
/li /ul /p #J-*****-Ljbffr

📌 Lead Space Engineer (Bologna)
🏢 Darwin Recruitment
📍 Bologna