About the Role
The Destinus engineering team is seeking a Systems Engineer to guide product design and drive qualification of energetic subsystems such as solid rocket motors, warheads, auxiliary pyrotechnics, and safety, arming and firing (SAF) devices. The role owns the qualification program end to end, from Mission Concept Review through to type qualification, production acceptance, and in-service surveillance.
The energetic sub-systems need to be developed and qualified to rigorous standards to support platform level efforts and qualification programs. Energetic sub-systems form a critical technology for the operation of Destinus Effectors.
The ideal candidate combines hands-on systems and test engineering with documentation discipline and broad-based systems understanding to build a defensible Engineering Qualification Program and Qualification file.
What You’ll Do
• Collaborate with energetics, propulsion, mechanical, electronics, and software discipline leads to integrate qualification overlays into a coherent system-level program.
• Drive product through the qualification process in line with certification frameworks and internal development processes.
• Develop and maintain the Qualification Data Pack — qualification plans, test plans and procedures, requirements, verification matrices, and qualification specifications and reports.
• Define test campaigns and acceptance criteria, and coordinate environmental, mechanical, safety, and performance test programs to NATO AECTP, STANAG, and AOP standards.
• Engage with the end user, lead engineers and customer to understand and document both system and sub-system requirements for tailoring qualification programs
• Help build and maintain requirements traceability and verification cross-references, ensuring every requirement is verified and traceable.
• Manage re-qualification / delta qualification: Assess change and failure triggers, classify them, and scope the re-qualification activity in line with the framework’s re-qualification criteria.
• Support hazard and safety assessments at system level and ensure the qualification evidence underpins the system safety case and Statement of Qualification.
• Help build an internal systems and qualification engineering discipline and structures to take our products to the next level
Requirements
• BSc. or MSc. in Aerospace, Mechanical, Systems, or a related engineering discipline.
• 3+ years of experience in systems engineering of energetic systems such as , propulsion, missile, or aerospace systems in a defense or aerospace environment.
• Working knowledge of a gate-driven, V-model qualification lifecycle and the deliverables and entry/exit criteria associated with formal design and qualification reviews.
• Extensive experience with NATO and equivalent qualification standards — STANAG, AECTP, and AOP munition safety principles, or equivalent national frameworks.
• Proven experience authoring qualification plans, test procedures, verification matrices, and qualification reports in a regulated, safety-critical environment.
• Experience with configuration management, requirements traceability, and document control on a complex hardware program.
• Strong documentation discipline and analytical mindset, with the ability to assemble and defend a complete evidence package under technical-authority review.
• Able to work hands-on across laboratory, integration, and test environments.
• Willingness to travel between production, R&D, and test sites in various locations.
• Fluency in English; German, French or Dutch is a plus.
Skills Required
- BSc or MSc in Aerospace, Mechanical, Systems, or related engineering discipline
- 3+ years experience in qualification, verification and validation, or systems engineering of energetic, propulsion, missile, or aerospace systems in defense or aerospace environment
- Working knowledge of gate-driven V-model qualification lifecycle and deliverables/entry-exit criteria
- Extensive experience with NATO/equivalent qualification standards (STANAG, AECTP, AOP) and munition safety principles
- Understanding of qualification chain: type qualification, first article inspection (FAI), lot acceptance, in-service surveillance
- Solid grasp of TRL and MRL frameworks and how they gate lifecycle progression
- Proven experience authoring qualification plans, test procedures, verification matrices, and qualification reports in safety-critical regulated environments
- Experience with configuration management, requirements traceability, and document control on complex hardware programs
- Hands-on ability to work across laboratory, integration, and test environments
- Experience performing hazard and system-level safety assessments and preparing safety cases / Statements of Qualification
- Ability to drive anomaly and non-conformance investigations using root-cause analysis and corrective actions
- Willingness to travel between production, R&D, and test sites
- Fluency in English
- German or Dutch language skills
What We Do
Destinus is a European aerospace and defense company that designs and manufactures autonomous flight systems, including drones, strike-effectors, and counter-drone systems. They utilize a vertically integrated model, handling design, airframe engineering, propulsion, and AI software in-house. Their mission focuses on advancing aerospace technology across the speed spectrum to enhance defense capabilities and global connectivity, with a particular emphasis on scalable strike and air defense systems for European and allied forces.
