Principal System Architect, Spectrum (m/f/d)

About this role

Mission Brief As Principal System Architect for Reusability, you will lead exploration of the reusable-launcher design space and drive convergence towards a coherent vehicle architecture . Using models and analyses developed by specialist teams, you will identify the most valuable design paths, direct further investigation and make architecture decisions that balance performance, development risk, operability, lifecycle cost and profitability.

Your Role in Our Space Mission: Own the end-to-end architecture of the reusable launch vehicle, including its configuration, interfaces, operational concept and key dependencies. Define the architecture exploration strategy: structure the design space, select promising paths and determine where further analysis or testing is required. Lead multidisciplinary trades using inputs and model outputs from specialist teams; challenge assumptions, expose dependencies and resolve conflicting objectives.

Drive architecture decisions and convergence, maintaining clear rationale, configuration baselines and priorities for the next exploration cycle. Balance vehicle performance and recovery with production, supply chain, logistics, launch operations, refurbishment, cadence, lifecycle cost, market demand and profitability. Align engineering, operations, program, finance and commercial stakeholders around the selected architecture and communicate decisions, risks and remaining trades clearly.

Qualification Checklist Extensive launch-vehicle architecture experience, including direct work on rocket development programs. Demonstrated experience with reusable launch vehicles, recovery architectures or reuse-driven vehicle design. Proven ownership of multidisciplinary architecture trades and high-impact design decisions. Deep understanding of reusable-launcher architectures, subsystem interactions and the dependencies connecting vehicle design, recovery and operations.

Strong multidisciplinary knowledge across propulsion, fluids, structures, avionics, trajectory, production, logistics, launch operations and refurbishment. Ability to interpret integrated model outputs, judge their assumptions and limitations, and translate them into architecture decisions and targeted follow-on work. Sound systems-engineering and configuration-management knowledge, with strong judgement in lifecycle cost, operational economics and profitability trades.