Lead Engineer, Solar Arrays | 40 hours | Leiden area | Space industry | Mechanical Engineering | Start date: September/October 2026 | Duration: 1 year (detached assignment) | Airbus Defence and Space Netherlands

Start date: September 2026 (October is also possible)
Hours: 40 hours per week (minimum 32 hours on-site)
Location: Leiden
Duration: 1 year (DETA-VAST contract), with the intention of permanent employment
Reason: Additional capacity

Company description

At Airbus Defence and Space Netherlands, we work at the cutting edge of technology in one of the most challenging and rapidly changing industries in the world: space. Our products and services—including solar arrays, launcher structures, instruments, and optical communication—are among the best in the world. They enable missions that are of great importance to our daily lives on Earth, such as satellite navigation, communications, climate research, and air quality monitoring.

At our state-of-the-art facilities, a team of over 200 dedicated professionals works on the design, development, assembly, testing, and delivery of space products and services.

About the role

Airbus Defence and Space Netherlands is seeking a Lead Engineer for Solar Arrays for its Solar Arrays department.

In this role, you will serve as the technical lead for solar array development projects, ensuring that customer requirements are translated into the appropriate technical solution. You will work closely with project managers, product managers, sales, and fellow lead engineers to guide projects from the early proposal phase through execution.

This is not a purely design-focused role. Instead, you will provide technical leadership, review engineering solutions, coordinate technical activities, and support project budgeting and planning.

Your role and responsibilities

As Lead Engineer for Solar Arrays, you will:

• Lead the technical implementation of solar array development projects;
• Translate customer requirements into feasible technical solutions using Airbus' existing product portfolio or by supporting the development of new product solutions where necessary;
• Review and approve mechanical designs and 3D models;
• Support project budgeting by estimating engineering hours and technical costs;
• Work closely with project managers, product managers, sales, and multidisciplinary engineering teams;
• Provide technical guidance throughout the project lifecycle;
• Contribute to technical decision-making and ongoing product and efficiency improvements.

Your profile

You are a technically skilled engineer with excellent communication skills who enjoys working with both customers and multidisciplinary engineering teams.

You bring:

• At least a bachelor's degree (HBO) in Mechanical Engineering, Applied Physics, or a similar technical field;
• Approximately 5–10 years of relevant engineering experience;
• At least 2 years of experience leading technical teams;
• Experience in a high-tech manufacturing or engineering environment;
• Experience reviewing mechanical designs and technical drawings;
• Experience with CAD software such as CATIA (or similar) is a strong plus;
• Experience with mechanical analysis tools such as ANSYS (or similar) is a plus;
• Experience in preparing engineering effort and cost estimates;
• Strong communication skills in English (Dutch is a plus);
• A proactive, hands-on, and solution-oriented mindset.

Experience in the aerospace or space industry is considered a plus.

What we offer

• A unique opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge space technology;
• A technically challenging role within an international aerospace organization;
• Close collaboration with highly skilled multidisciplinary engineering teams;
• Exposure to innovative international space programs;
• A one-year fixed-term assignment with the intention of permanent employment.

For questions: robert.vandenouwelant@headfirst.nl