Project Manager – Space Propulsion

Description

We are looking for an experienced Project Manager with an engineering background to join our in-space propulsion team in Delft, The Netherlands.

We need a proven project manager who thrives in complex technical environments and can quickly take ownership of high-value customer projects from day one.

Dawn Aerospace has become the biggest green propulsion provider in the world, and our ambitions are even greater. As demand for our satellite propulsion systems continues to grow, we are looking for a Project Manager who can turn ambitious goals into successful deliveries, coordinating multidisciplinary teams to bring cutting-edge space hardware from concept to orbit.

In this role, you will be accountable for the successful delivery of multiple satellite propulsion projects, working at the intersection of engineering, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and customer success. You will lead your projects through every phase of the product lifecycle, from requirements definition and design through procurement, production, integration, testing, and final delivery. You will be the driving force that keeps projects on track, teams aligned, and customers informed.

This role combines strategic planning with hands-on execution and offers exposure to the full lifecycle of flight hardware in a fast-growing space company.

If you want a role where you can simply maintain schedules and attend meetings, then this is not for you. We’re looking for a highly motivated Project Manager who is unafraid to take ownership, navigate uncertainty, and help deliver the next generation of space propulsion systems.

Responsibilities 

• Manage multiple in-space propulsion projects, driving schedule, budget, scope, and the delivery of flight hardware.
• Own project plans, milestones, dependencies, resource needs, and customer commitments from contract handover to delivery.
• Act as the primary customer interface and translate technical and commercial requirements into clear, executable priorities for multidisciplinary teams.
• Coordinate engineering, supply chain, production, AIT, quality, and other internal functions to keep projects aligned and moving.
• Proactively identify risks, bottlenecks, and deviations, establish recovery actions, and escalate decisions early when needed.
• Balance technical performance, schedule, resources, and customer expectations using practical engineering judgement.
• Provide concise, evidence-based project reporting and forecasts to customers, internal stakeholders, and management.
• Manage scope changes, contractual deliverables, acceptance criteria, and project documentation with a high level of discipline, and prepare and propose Contract Change Notices (CCNs) where required.
• Contribute proven project management practices, templates, and lessons learned that strengthen the wider Project Management team.
• Travel to other Dawn offices, suppliers, or customer locations when required, expected up to approximately 10% of working time.

Qualifications

• A degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Systems Engineering, or another relevant engineering discipline.
• Hands-on experience delivering complex engineering or hardware projects, with at least three years of project management experience in the aerospace or defence industry, or at least five years in manufacturing or another high-tech product environment.
• Demonstrated experience managing project scope, schedule, budget, risks, and customer commitments while coordinating multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong technical understanding and the ability to work credibly with engineers, customers, and other stakeholders in an international environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, with the judgement, structure, and initiative to take ownership of active projects quickly and work independently with limited training.
• Ability to obtain Dutch, NATO, or EU security clearances.

Please note: Applications that do not demonstrate both a relevant engineering background and substantial, hands-on project management experience will not meet the core requirements of this role.

Desired Experience

• Experience with spacecraft, space propulsion, aerospace, defense, or other safety- and mission-critical products.
• Knowledge of spacecraft development processes, systems engineering methods, verification, qualification, and acceptance testing.
• Experience delivering physical products through development, industrialization, manufacturing, integration, and test.
• Experience establishing and maintaining integrated project plans, milestones, risk registers, budgets, forecasts, and management reporting.
• Experience with project management tools such as Wrike, MS Project, Jira, or equivalent planning and reporting systems.
• Experience working across geographically distributed teams, customers, and suppliers.

Our process: Apply before 1st November 2026. We aim to inform applicants of the initial outcome no later than 6th November. We expect to communicate the final decision by 30th November. Our preferred start date is January 2027, subject to the selected candidate's notice period and availability.

Note that the role is a permanent position that will start with a fixed-term contract of 12 months. 

Diversity & Inclusion

At Dawn Aerospace, we believe that diverse teams build better solutions. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where people of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences are valued and supported to do their best work.

About Dawn Aerospace

Dawn Aerospace is a space transportation company with a purpose.

Our mission is to enable the next generation of space users by providing more sustainable and scalable ways to access and move around in space. We believe this access, in the form of a transportation network, will fundamentally change what’s possible from space. We currently focus on three areas of space transportation:

• In-space propulsion

  We're a leading supplier of turnkey green propulsion systems for various classes of satellites. Our systems utilise safe, accessible propellants and we have over 170 of these propulsion units on more than 40 operational satellites already. A further 200 units are in production.

• In-space servicing

  Coupled with our propulsion expertise, we are ensuring that our customers' satellites are refuellable. In the coming years, Dawn will offer a refueling service to enable life extension of customer satellites. This new market is aligned with our sustainability goal to ensue a clean and safe space for everyone! 

• Spaceplane

  We are developing the fastest and highest-flying aircraft ever to take off from a runway, combining the extreme performance of rocket propulsion with the reusability of conventional airplanes to enable high-frequency, low-cost access to sub-orbital space.

Our international teams are distributed across four locations: the Netherlands, France, New Zealand, and the USA.

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Important!

If you think you have what it takes but are unsure that you check every box, we still want to hear from you.

To all recruitment agencies: Dawn Aerospace does not accept agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our job’s alias, our employees, or any other company location. Dawn Aerospace will not be responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.