Space Subsystem Engineer - — Mechanisms & Fluidic Systems
Pubblicato il 27-08-2026 - Finis Terrae in Roma
Finis Terrae is an Italian space company developing VERTUE, a green Orbital Propulsion Module for constellation deployment, in-orbit servicing, refuelling and cislunar missions. It runs on technology that does not exist together anywhere else: a throttleable bi-propellant engine fed by electric pumps, green propellants, a composite toroidal tank and a micro-acceleration device for propellant management in microgravity — for a structural efficiency up to 60% better than current competitors.
Building it means designing pumps, valves and actuators that have to work, once, perfectly, after months in orbit. That is the job.
The role You will own mechanical and fluidic subsystems of VERTUE — mechanisms above all: electric pumps, valves, actuators, moving assemblies — from concept to qualification, working directly with the CTO.
- Define subsystem architecture, requirements, interfaces and verification strategy.
- Design and draft in CAD (SolidWorks, CATIA), through to drawings released to manufacturing.
- Implement "Design for Manufacturing" practices onto the baseliner configuration of the product.
- Run the analyses that justify the design: FEA (Ansys Mechanical / Abaqus) and CFD (Ansys Fluent / OpenFOAM).
- Verify against launch and orbital environments: loads, vibration and shock, torque and power margins, vacuum tribology, bearings, sealing.
- Apply ECSS and applicable design codes, and produce the documentation behind PDR, CDR, TRR and QR.
- Specify and follow hardware with suppliers, and plan and support qualification test campaigns.
What we are looking for
- MSc in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering, strong academic record.
- Around 3+ years of relevant experience — not an entry-level role. Someone who has designed real hardware, seen it tested,
and is ready for far more ownership than their current role allows.
- Experience with mechanisms for space or other high-reliability applications: pumps, valves, actuators, deployment or separation systems, rotating machinery.
- Autonomy in mechanical design and drafting (SolidWorks, GD&T;) and in analysis (FEA and/or CFD) — able to decide what to simulate and defend the result.
- Solid grounding in design standards and verification logic. ECSS is a plus; a rigorous standards-based culture from another regulated sector (aviation, energy, oil & gas, motorsport, medical devices) is equally valued.
- Fluent English — our working language. Italian is useful, not required.
- Based in, or willing to relocate to, Rome or Turin.
Nice to have: liquid propulsion feed systems or turbopumps, mechatronics and actuator integration, multibody dynamics, composite structures, ESA/ASI programme experience.
Why it is worth your time Full subsystem ownership from day one, not in five years. The complete engineering cycle — requirements, CAD, FEA and CFD, standards, suppliers, qualification — closed by one engineer, which is exactly how lead engineers are made. Genuinely novel technology, direct access to the CTO, short decision chains. Hardware you design now is meant to fly.
Permanent contract under the Italian CCNL Metalmeccanici, compensation commensurate with experience. Relocation support, training and technical publication opportunities.
Applying We are an international team and actively welcome applications from outside Italy — high-level expertise travels, and we will support the move.
Send your CV in English plus a short note on one mechanism you designed and what you learned when it was tested to [(email hidden)], subject Space Subsystem Engineer — Rome / Turin.
Equal-opportunity employer. We evaluate engineering ability and nothing else.