R&D Engineer – Composite Winding Process (all genders)

The What: COPV failure in spaceflight is a solved problem – if the underlying process is right. The quality of our composite winding process determines the quality of every tank we build. We need an engineer who will own this research, drive it forward independently, and help us produce tanks that do not fail.

The Why: You are the owner of our composite winding process research. You don’t inherit a finished method – you develop one. From experiment design to test execution, data analysis to team knowledge transfer: you plan the work, run it, and take responsibility for the results.

You ensure:

• Experiments are designed thoroughly and executed to plan.
• Findings are analyzed critically and translated into concrete process improvements.
• Knowledge is documented andsharedso the team moves forward together.

YOUR MISSION

Research and improve the composite winding process: Design and run experiments to advance our winding process and improve tank performance. Learn from every project, increase your efficiency over time, and develop improvement ideas.

High Performance – Deliver strong results under pressure. Each project makes the next one better.

Own your projects end-to-end: Take full responsibility for assigned projects – scope, schedule, and deliverables. Drive projects forward without being prompted. Question your own results and push for better.

Accountability – Own your work. Follow through. Deliver results independently.

Work closely within the team and across functions: Collaborate effectively within the team and with colleagues across the company. Coordinate on test scheduling, share progress proactively, and contribute to a team that moves as one.

Togetherness – The team succeeds together. Support others as you expect to be supported.

Share findings and challenge ideas openly: Defend your conclusions with confidence and stay open when others push back. Document and share knowledge proactively – what you learn should not stay with you alone. In our environment, speaking up and being transparent isn't just a value – it's a safety requirement.

Candor – Surface problems early. Speak up. Fix things faster.

Bring curiosity and ideas to every project: Approach technical challenges with genuine interest and a drive to understand how things work. Bring new ideas to the table, experiment with approaches, and stay energized by the complexity of the problem.

Blackwave designs, manufactures and ships flight-qualified, commercial off-the-shelf composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs) for launch vehicles and satellites. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Munich, Germany, the company delivers COPVs from a standardized portfolio with flight heritage. The approach reduces lead time from months to days while ensuring that each tank is qualified and flight-ready. Blackwave's mission is to end COPV failure in spaceflight. The company employs more than 150 people across manufacturing facilities in Germany and Texas.

More information at Blackwave.com and the procurement platform COPV.com.