R&D Test Engineer

Destinus is seeking a highly organised and technically strong R&D Test Engineer to join our propulsion team. This role is central to the planning, coordination, and oversight of the test campaigns that validate our next-generation propulsion systems, from early component characterisation through to full engine testing. The successful candidate will own the test campaign lifecycle – defining objectives, scheduling resources, managing risk, and ensuring traceable, high-quality results – while working closely with test cell operators and engineers to translate campaign requirements into safe, well-executed test runs. This position requires a strong foundation in thermodynamics and fluid dynamics, excellent project and stakeholder management skills, and a commitment to rigorous safety and quality standards.

 

What You’ll Do 

• Plan and manage end-to-end test campaigns for turbojet engines and associated components (e.g., combustors, intakes, nozzles), defining objectives, scope, success criteria, and acceptance requirements.
• Build and maintain detailed test campaign schedules, coordinating test cell availability, engine and article readiness, instrumentation needs, and cross-functional dependencies.
• Translate design and aerodynamics requirements into detailed test plans, procedures, and instrumentation matrices, ensuring full traceability between test objectives and results.
• Act as the main point of contact for a test campaign, coordinating design, aerodynamics, manufacturing, and quality assurance teams throughout preparation, execution, and close-out.
• Track campaign progress, risks, and open actions, proactively identifying schedule or technical risks and defining mitigation plans.
• Oversee data acquisition and post-test analysis, ensuring test results are processed, quality-checked, and consolidated into comprehensive technical reports with clear conclusions and recommendations.
• Define and prioritise post-processing and automation needs (using MATLAB, Python, etc.) to standardise data reduction, visualisation, and performance calculations across campaigns.
• Support the definition of calibration and quality control plans for critical sensors (thrust, flow, vibrations, temperature, and pressure).
• Contribute hands-on to test rig preparation and execution when needed – including test cell setup, instrumentation installation, and troubleshooting – to stay closely connected to test realities.
• Lead root cause analysis for engine and test rig issues, ensuring findings are captured and fed back into future campaign planning.
• Ensure all test operations adhere strictly to established safety protocols and regulatory guidelines, and drive continuous improvement of test planning processes and documentation.

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.
• Proven experience (3+ years) in test engineering or test campaign planning for turbojet, turbofan, or ramjet engines, or comparable propulsion/mechanical systems.
• Strong understanding of gas turbine engine thermodynamics, performance cycles, and instrumentation (pressure, temperature, thrust, flow, and vibrations).
• Demonstrated project or campaign management skills, including scheduling, risk management, and cross-functional coordination.
• Experience with data acquisition software (e.g., HBM catman, National Instruments LabVIEW) and data analysis tools (e.g., MATLAB, Python, Excel).
• Comfortable working hands-on in a test cell environment when required, in addition to planning and management responsibilities.
• Fluency in English (written and verbal).
• Familiarity with high-altitude flight testing considerations.
• Knowledge of European aerospace standards (e.g., EASA).

Who You Are 

You’re not just a Testing Engineer—you’re a pioneer in aerospace innovation. You thrive in high-stakes environments, where precision, problem-solving, and technical mastery define your success. You’re passionate about breaking barriers in aerospace performance, and you don’t just execute tests—you engineer solutions that drive progress. If you’re eager to push the limits of technology, work with trailblazing experts, and play a key role in shaping the future of hypersonic flight, we want you on our team.