About Exotrail 🚀

Born from a strong ambition to reach for the stars, Exotrail is a fast-growing scale-up founded in 2017. Its mission: to develop and commercialize propulsion systems for small satellites on a global scale.

We design products focused on impact, fast delivery, and continuous improvement. Inspired by the digital world, we are firmly customer-oriented and driven by an entrepreneurial spirit.

We manage risks to push boundaries and achieve results that would not be possible within a traditional space model.

We deploy every necessary resource to support the development of our products, whether in propulsion or in-orbit services. Strengthened by an innovative mindset inherited from our early days, we are preparing to grow into an ambitious industrial company.

Job Description 👨‍💻

We are looking for a Propulsion R&D Engineer at our Massy site to support the rapid growth.

Attached to the Plasma & Materials Team, you will be responsible for:

📌 Conducting advanced research

📌 Developing cutting-edge propulsion technologies

📌 Collaborating with cross-functional teams

Main responsibilities:
📌 Design, develop, and analyze advanced propulsion technologies, including prototype construction and validation testing under diverse operating conditions.

📌 Plan and execute laboratory tests, analyze performance data, identify discrepancies, and implement corrective measures to optimize propulsion systems.

📌 Research and evaluate innovative materials, manufacturing methods, and emerging technologies to enhance propulsion performance and reliability.

📌 Prepare technical reports, research papers, presentations, and maintain comprehensive documentation of research activities, experiments, and project progress.

📌 Drive innovation initiatives within the propulsion domain, contribute to new research concepts, and support patent applications and intellectual property strategies.

Preferred Experience 💁‍♀️

Education: PhD in electric propulsion, chemical propulsion, plasma physics, material science, or a related field

📌 Experience: 3–5 years of relevant research experience gained through a PhD, postdoctoral work, or industry projects

📌 Hands-on experience with electric propulsion systems and laboratory environments, including vacuum chambers, oscilloscopes, diagnostics equipment, power supplies, and experimental setup integration.

📌 Proficiency in data acquisition, test applications, and data processing tools such as Python, ideally MATLAB, and/or LabVIEW.

📌 Strong analytical mindset with the ability to independently investigate, understand, and optimise experimental behaviour and propulsion system performance.

📌 Excellent written and verbal communication skills in both French and English, including strong technical writing abilities and a passion for developing agile, high-technology space solutions.

About our recruitment process🤝

We are committed to recruiting the right people for the right job regardless of your private background.

We meet at least three times in order to give you a better idea of what it's like to work at Exotrail:
1. Technical interview with our Talent Acquisition Manager: you will learn more about the position and our culture
2. On-site interview with your future manager: you will discover your work environment and learn more about the required qualifications
3. Interview with the team and a founder: you can make sure that you share the same vision and values of the company