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NewSpace hardware search · Europe

Hire Hardware Engineers for Space Start-ups

Mechanisms, thermal, AIT, production and quality engineers for companies building flight hardware — sourced from space primes and from the adjacent industries that quietly train the same skills.

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European NewSpace companies compete for a talent pool that is far smaller than their hiring plans assume. There are only so many engineers in Germany who have qualified a mechanism for launch, run a thermal-vacuum campaign or signed off flight hardware. The companies that scale are the ones that also recruit from automotive, medical devices, semiconductor equipment and machine building, and then teach the space-specific standards. We run exactly that dual-track search, and we run it as an embedded team when the hiring plan is bigger than a couple of roles.

See it in practice: embedded recruitment for DCUBED, a Munich space hardware manufacturer. Mechanical discipline detail: hire mechanical engineers in Germany.

Why teams choose us in Europe

What you get when you brief us

Dual-track sourcing: space and adjacent

Track one is the space pool — primes, agencies, established suppliers and university programmes. Track two is the adjacent pool in automotive, medtech, semiconductor equipment and precision machine building, screened for design-for-qualification rigour.

The full hardware org, not just engineers

Mechanisms and structures, thermal, AIT and test infrastructure, production and process engineering, supplier quality and product assurance, plus the technician layer that actually builds the units.

Embedded when the plan is large

For companies hiring across a whole production ramp, we place full-time recruiters inside the business who source, interview and evaluate under your employer brand — the model we run today for a Munich space hardware manufacturer.

Honest about export control and clearances

Nationality restrictions, ITAR-adjacent constraints and security requirements narrow pools sharply. We map that in at briefing time instead of discovering it at offer stage.

Related searches we run

Other Europe searches we run

Embedded recruitment

Full-time recruiters inside your team for a multi-role hardware ramp.

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Executive search

Head of Production, Head of Quality and engineering leadership for space companies.

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Frequently asked

Questions before you brief us.

Is there enough space-experienced talent in Germany?
Not for the sector's current hiring plans. Realistically, a meaningful share of every NewSpace hardware team has to come from adjacent industries. Companies that accept that early hire faster than those that hold out for pure space CVs.
Which adjacent industries transfer best into space hardware?
Semiconductor equipment, medical devices, automotive test and validation, and precision machine building. All four train tolerance discipline, qualification documentation and a mindset where failure analysis is normal.
Do you recruit technicians as well as engineers?
Yes — production technicians, automation technicians and AIT technicians are usually the hardest layer to fill locally, and we treat them as a first-class part of the mandate.
How does the embedded model work for a space company?
We place one or more full-time recruiters who work only on your roles: active sourcing, first interviews, evaluation and pipeline reporting, under your brand and inside your process. It suits companies hiring ten or more roles in parallel.

Next step

Building a space hardware team in Europe?

Send us your hiring plan for the next twelve months. We will tell you which roles are findable locally and which need a wider net.

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