Valve Design Engineer

Orbex are looking for an experienced Valve Design Engineer, to take ownership of the products design, development and qualification of mission-critical fluid components and systems including valves and associated mechanisms such as actuation.

The Orbex Fluid Systems team is pushing the boundaries of fluidic system component design to deliver high performance fluid control to both the propulsion and structural teams.

To achieve this, our fluid network lead is looking for an energetic, adaptable design engineer to help achieve the objectives and deliver creative solutions to the unique challenges the fluid system team are faced with.

Orbex

Orbex is a leading micro-launch company with our Prime vehicle being prepared to launch from our home spaceport, Sutherland Spaceport. We are well placed to be one of the first operational micro-launch companies in Europe with over €85m of project financing secured, a number of customers signed up, our launch licence application submitted, and backing from organisations including UKSA and ESA.

We are a rapidly growing company with staff located between our production and test facilities in Forres, Scotland and Copenhagen, Denmark. Working on cutting-edge advances in rocket fuel technology, Prime’s carbon footprint is up to 96% lower than comparable vehicles, leading to innovations in propulsion and tank structures. A state-of-the-art re-flight system means we can recover and reuse our technology, and innovations in separation mechanisms mean we leave no debris in space.

Having developed in-house production capability, we can 3D print complex engines, produce full-scale carbon composite fuel tanks, and have avionics and software testing labs in both Scotland and Denmark. Based in Forres, you will be right in the heart of this fast-paced cutting-edge company, gaining a unique insight into what it takes to build a new launch vehicle for a buoyant commercial market.

The Position

The position includes the following tasks and responsibilities:

• Establish the necessary baseline requirements, documentation, programme management, conceptual design, detail design, testing and production of fluid system components assigned
• Work with a multitude of software and hardware to validate and verify your products for flight
• Working with in-house and external production teams to design, produce and integrate flight-grade propulsion hardware.
• Collaborate with suppliers and sub-contractors and establishing relationships
• Procure the necessary materials and services required by creating the required purchase requisition and keeping track of the budget
• Perform first article inspections, assembly and testing of prototypes and flight hardware when required
• Create and establish the necessary quality control documentation
• Collaborating with in-house teams to facilitate and conduct propulsion development test campaigns and qualification testing.
• Acting as a technical authority on larger testing campaigns involving fluid systems
• Independently drive the projects forward using your own experiences and knowledge
• Hands on work to meet deadlines and aspects of production, quality inspections and testing

Key Qualifications and Experience

• Minimum of a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or a related field.
• Experience in the design of hydraulic systems, valves and valve components, valve actuators, and associated control components.
• Experience in design calculations, simulations, analytical and numerical models, etc.
• Experienced in the integration and testing of fluid control systems including the required documentation
• Experience with assembly and dimensional inspection of manufactured hardware
• Mechanical CAD Design, GD & T
• CAD / CFD experience, Solidworks / Ansys or StarCCM preferred
• Project planning & budgeting skills
• MS office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, projects is required

Desirable Skills and Experience

• ERP software experience desirable
• Knowledge or experience in manufacturing and quality techniques commonly applied in rocket propulsion technology, specific emphasis on additive manufacturing
• Cryogenic experience preferable
• Experience including liquid oxygen is preferable
• Experience with Python, EcoSim or AmeSim is preferred

Personality

Orbex is a high-paced, startup culture where you will be encouraged to take assume responsibility for tasks and see them through.

It is imperative that you take initiative, communicate openly and can collaborate with technical and non-technical team members. You must have the ability to work with multiple projects simultaneously and have flexibility to adapt to an ever-changing environment.

You must be able to thrive in an international, diverse and multicultural environment.
Orbex is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is working towards a more diverse workforce in the aerospace industry.

Location

This role is based in Copenhagen at Orbex’s Danish propulsion engineering and manufacturing site with significant time expected at our test site in Faxe.

You will be spending time both at the factory and our nearby rocket engine testing site, with occasional travel to our main factory, test and launch sites in Scotland.

Copenhagen is one of Europe's most modern and aesthetically interesting cities. It is regarded as being one of the most livable cities in the world, with a strong reputation for being clean, green and sustainable.

With a huge, active waterfront and a lively social scene, Copenhagen offers a wide range of social activities and leisure opportunities, all with a uniquely Scandinavian flair. Activities include cycling and sailing, and the centre of the city is famed for its cultural highlights.

Security

You must be a UK or European citizen or from a country that is a signatory to the MTCR convention. You will be required to obtain CTC clearance for the role.

Benefits

For the right candidate, we offer an excellent benefits package that includes:

• Competitive salary
• An equity stake in the company so you will really benefit from your hard work as the company grows and is successful. 
• Our roles need to be on-site in Denmark due to the nature of the work as well as export controls and security, we are happy to sponsor visas for you and your family and provide relocation assistance as required which included funding the move and your first month in temporary accommodation so that you can explore the beautiful city of Copenhagen before choosing a place to settle down.