Head of Valves & Equipment (m/f/d)
Are you keen to embark on a space adventure? Would you like to play a part in ensuring European space autonomy and sovereignty? ArianeGroup’s international teams design and build cutting-edge technologies for space, defence and industry: they are shaping Europe’s future in space. Whether you are a first-time job-seeker or an experienced professional, you’ll find that our 13 sites in Germany, mainland France and French Guiana offer career opportunities spanning a wide array of professions – engineering, customer service, quality control, legal matters and production, to name just a few. Here, you can discover our job.
ArianeGroup is looking for a ‘ Head of Valves & Equipment (m/f/d)’ for the department ‘Combustion and Flow Control Devices´ with immediate effect The position is located in Ottobrunn (Germany) or Vernon (France) and organized within the ´Liquid Propulsion Engineering´ center.
The job offers to act and take responsibility for a French/German team and you should feel enthusiastic about leading a bi-national team and being in charge of a product portfolio allocated at two sites.
What we offer you:
🚀 Practical experience and involvement in an international aerospace company
💶 Attractive remuneration in accordance with the collective agreements of the metal and electrical industry as well as various additional payments (Christmas and holiday bonuses, profit-sharing, etc.)
📈 Capital-forming benefits
🌴 30 days holiday
👍 Company pension plan
🚑 Sick pay subsidy
🌤Company health management (regular prevention programmes, social counselling, company integration management)
🌈 Care for Life / Sabbatical
🕓 Flexible working hours with partial home office option / Flexible working time models
🔎 Personal development opportunities (e-learning, training, mentoring, use of expert network)
🎾 Discount through employee benefits (employee benefits portal, Egym Wellpass, hire or purchase of a car, bicycle leasing, subsidised „Deutschlandticket“)
🥗 Staff canteen and car park
Your responsibilities:
Ensuring a French/German excellence for Flow Control Devices (Valves and Equipment)
Adaptation of the team’s vision and mission according to developing customer and market needs (engine & stage electrification, re-usability, high thrust engine, in space applications, H2 business, etc.)
Development and maintenance of leading edge skills in the field of storable and cryogenic propellant Flow Control Devices
Management and delivery of justification for all products within the Valves and Equipment portfolio
Management of test and flight worthiness of all Flow Control Devices including anti POGO devices
Technical acceptance of sub-contractor waivers
Identification and pre-development of innovative/advanced valve and equipment technologies according to a well-kept R&T roadmap
Your main tasks and activities:
Provide full perimeter of storable and cryogenic propellant flow control equipment engineering (conception, layout, verification and qualification)
Manage and supervise the team's contributions to the programs: succeed in milestones deliveries OQOTOC and pass related key points and reviews
Incorporate engineering competence into projects and drive their technical orientation
Foster synergies across the various product developments as well as a design-to-cost and design-to-manufacturing approach
Check and drive for regular updates of the Operational Planning of the workload
Organize and steadily improve the Visual Management
Implement team performance measurements and visualize them on Confluence
Perform Individual Performance Interviews and Individual Development Interviews with the team members
Equip, train, develop and engage team members (Leadership/Engagement/Training plan)
Drive and contribute to the improvement plan
You have the following qualifications:
Master Degree or PhD in aerospace engineering
More than 7 years working experience in the field of aerospace science and engineering
Detailed knowledge in storable and cryogenic propellant flow control devices
Extended knowledge of fluid dynamic and thermo-mechanic characteristics of Flow Control Equipment
Extended knowledge of systems engineering & project management
Developed leadership skills for provision of orientation and empowerment of staff featuring collaboration and trust
Excellent coordination and communication skills
Sound knowledge of collaborative tools and their use for agile team and project management
Quick learning and problem solving capacity
Fluent English skills, French & German knowledge would be a plus
Enjoy working in an international team
Willingness to travel on a regular basis
Are you interested?
Then we look forward to receiving your application (in English), including CV, cover letter and references, via the application button.
Few more words about our site of Ottobrunn / Taufkirchen
In Bavaria, near Munich, the Ottobrunn site is ArianeGroup’s European centre of excellence for the development and production of space engine combustion chambers for launchers or satellites. The combustion chambers for Ariane 6’s liquid propulsion engines – Vulcain 2.1 and Vinci – are built here, along with that of the Prometheus® reusable engine. The site is also a centre of excellence for 3D printing and the production of cryogenic valves.
ArianeGroup strongly believes in diversity as a key factor to strengthen innovation and collaboration.
We welcome all applications and are committed to creating an inclusive working environment.
Our selection criteria are based on competencies and professional skills alone.

ArianeGroup is an industrial company delivering critical missions for the space and defence sectors. With 8,300 highly qualified employees in France and Germany, ArianeGroup has unique expertise in access to space, covering the full spectrum of civil and military launch systems, including design, development, manufacturing, integration, flight preparation, operational readiness and end-of-life decommissioning.
ArianeGroup is lead contractor for the Ariane 6 European launcher for the European Space Agency (ESA), and for the French oceanic deterrent force M51 strategic missile for the French Defence Armament Procurement Agency (DGA).
Internationally recognised for its innovative, competitive solutions, ArianeGroup has expertise in state-of-the-art technologies, from the chemistry of propellants and composite materials, to liquid, solid and electric space propulsion systems. ArianeGroup also offers a broad range of space, defence and industrial equipment and services, both individually and together with its subsidiaries Sodern, Pyroalliance, Nuclétudes and APP.
In the field of space launchers, ArianeGroup’s subsidiary Arianespace markets and operates the Ariane 6, developed for ESA, and its subsidiary MaiaSpace develops and markets the reusable launcher Maia.
ArianeGroup, equally owned by Airbus and Safran, posted consolidated revenues of €2.5 billion in 2024.