Valve Lead Engineer

About Pangea Propulsion:

We are a company dedicated to developing advanced propulsion systems for the space industry based on three key principles: high efficiency, sustainability, and reusability. We are revolutionizing the space industry with ground-breaking innovations that allow us to offer the best performance to cost propulsion systems. Our goal is to be the propulsion provider for the next generation of spacecraft, which is essential to meet demands and compete in the booming space market of the next decade.

We are a passionate, multicultural, and multidisciplinary team pushing the boundaries of what is possible in space propulsion technology.

We have already made history by successfully testing the world's first 3D-printed Methalox Aerospike engine, marking a significant milestone for the space industry.

We are looking for talented professionals to join our international teams in Barcelona and Toulouse. We want to be a key player in improving diversity in the Aerospace sector as, in Pangea, we believe that diversity (gender, age, race, sexual orientation, beliefs, disability, culture, etc.) is a key to success. Within Pangea, everyone can grow with the same opportunities. We encourage you to apply. Individually we are different, but together we are an amazing team!

We are looking for a Senior Valve Engineer (Technical Authority) based in Toulouse.

About the role

We are seeking a hands-on valve expert who will serve as Pangea’s company-wide technical authority for valves . The mission is to build the internal capability to specify, design, analyse, source, test, qualify, industrialise, and continuously improve critical valves for our propulsion systems.

The first priority will be to assess and internalise selected valves used on Nereus , starting where technically and commercially justified with HTP-compatible valves . The scope can then expand to other valve families and propulsion programmes based on risk, recurring cost, lead time, supply-chain dependence, and strategic value.

This is a senior individual-contributor role with strong technical leadership. You will work closely with Fluidics and across Systems, Design, Analysis, Materials, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Test, and Operations, taking decisions from first principles and carrying them through to validated hardware.

Key responsibilities

· Act as Pangea’s technical reference for valves, owning design decisions, technical reviews, risk acceptance, and the valve technology roadmap across propulsion programmes.

· Define the valve internalisation strategy and prioritise candidates using performance, safety, development risk, recurring cost, lead time, supplier dependence, and manufacturing scalability.

· Lead the initial Nereus workstream for HTP-compatible solenoid valves: capture requirements and interfaces; benchmark make-versus-buy options; select concepts; and define the development and qualification plan.

· Own the full product lifecycle—from requirements, architecture, trade-offs, detailed design, analysis, materials and sealing selection through prototyping, testing, qualification, production release, and in-service improvement.

· Develop or approve valve sizing and dynamic models covering flow capacity and pressure drop, actuation force and margin, response time, leakage, thermal effects, friction, hysteresis, fatigue, wear, contamination sensitivity, and lifetime.

· Establish verification logic, acceptance criteria, instrumentation, test matrices, and qualification evidence for nominal, off-nominal, proof, endurance, environmental, and compatibility testing.

· Ensure compatibility with HTP and, as applicable, cryogenic, high-pressure, hot, reactive, or hazardous fluids through disciplined materials, cleanliness, sealing, lubrication, and contamination-control choices.

· Resolve difficult hardware problems through structured failure investigation, test-data interpretation, root-cause analysis, corrective action, and design iteration.

· Lead technical engagement with valve, actuator, coil, seal, and manufacturing suppliers; review proposals, drawings, analyses, process controls, inspection plans, qualification evidence, deviations, and non-conformances.

· Create reusable internal standards, design rules, calculation methods, test procedures, lessons learned, and product architectures, while mentoring engineers and raising valve competence across the company.

Initial Mandate

Build a credible make-versus-buy and development plan for Nereus HTP-compatible solenoid valves, close the highest-risk knowledge gaps with analysis and testing, and leave behind a repeatable internal valve-development capability.

What you need to be successful

Education

· Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Mechatronics, Fluid Mechanics, or a closely related engineering discipline.

· Additional specialization in fluid systems, cryogenics, mechanical design, tribology, sealing technology, materials, or control systems would be advantageous.

Experience

· 8 to 10 years or more of relevant engineering experience, with substantial direct ownership of valve or closely related fluid-control hardware.

· Demonstrated hands-on delivery of hardware from requirements and concept selection through detailed design, test, qualification, and production support.

· Deep experience with solenoid, pilot-operated, pneumatic, electro-mechanical, or comparable valves for demanding applications.

· Experience with high-pressure, reactive, hazardous, cryogenic, or high-temperature fluid systems; liquid rocket propulsion or space hardware experience is strongly preferred.

· Evidence of solving real valve failure modes and working directly with manufacturing, suppliers, inspection teams, test facilities, and non-conformance processes.

Technical expertise…

Source: Arbeitnow (https://www.arbeitnow.fr/jobs/companies/pangea-propulsion/valve-lead-engineer-toulouse-456147)