HTP Compatibility and Materials Engineer
Propulsion - Villeneuve, CH
The position
- Crew
- Propulsion
- Location
- Villeneuve, CH
- Type of contract
- Full-time
Your role
PAVE Space is building LYOBA, a heavy kick stage moving up to 4-tonne payloads from LEO to high-energy orbits in under 24 hours.
Tank material selection is one of the many challenges that feeds directly into our structural design. Before we get there, we need quantitative compatibility data for every candidate alloy, surface treatment, and coating under consideration. The test stand is built, the HTP is sourced, and the test campaign kicks off this summer. We need the person who owns it.
You will own
The full HTP compatibility test campaign: planning, procedure writing, execution, and identifying upgrades to the test hardware as you learn what's missing.
Decomposition rate measurements across candidate materials, temperatures, surface-to-volume ratios, and surface finishes.
The search for the right surface treatments, cleaning procedures, passivation routes, and protective coatings for medium-duration HTP storage.
Post-exposure verdicts: is the material still sound, and is the propellant still usable for propulsion?
Compatibility reports with numbers that feed straight into design trade-offs.
What we are looking for
A degree in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Aerospace, or Mechanical Engineering (or equivalent earned in practice).
Solid grounding in corrosion, material degradation, or chemical compatibility: not just textbook, applied.
You've designed and run your own experiments before: scoping, procedure, execution, analysis.
Comfortable handling concentrated oxidizers or hazardous chemicals in a lab, day after day.
Proficient with Python, MATLAB, or equivalent for data analysis.
You take ownership of the full loop, from "what do we need to know" through to "here's the recommendation."
Experience working with high-concentration hydrogen peroxide.
Nice to have: familiarity with passivation or anodisation processes, background in commissioning lab setups, aerospace or high-reliability industry experience, metallurgy of aluminium or stainless steels.
You will fit if
You'd rather own an entire test campaign than run someone else's procedure.
You're happiest when you're in the lab making measurements, not waiting on someone else's results.
You're comfortable making judgement calls on what to test next when the textbook doesn't give you a clear answer.
You want your data to end up in a flight vehicle, not in an archive.
This is early and hard. The test stand is new, some procedures still need writing, and you'll be handling 98% HTP on a regular basis. The role is fully on-site in Villeneuve (VD) because the lab is here. What makes that worth it: your measurements will directly determine what material flies on LYOBA. That's a short line between your lab notebook and a vehicle in orbit, and you'll draw it surrounded by people equally committed to shipping.
We are building to ship, grounded on real hardware, real funding, real milestones. Apply to contribute, or send this to the materials engineer you know who's been waiting for a role like it.