Destinus

European defense firm manufacturing missiles

Technical Project Manager - Propulsion & Pyrotechnics

Program ManagementConfirmed live in the last 24 hours

Full-timeZürich, SwitzerlandNo salary listed

About the Job

Requirements

A bachelor's or master's degree in aerospace, mechanical, systems, or a related engineering discipline.
Three to six years of experience in a hardware-heavy development environment, including at least two years in project management, programme coordination, or a technical lead role.
A background in aerospace, defence, or a similarly regulated hardware domain, with familiarity with hardware development and military qualification cycles.
Strong systems thinking and the ability to see the overall programme, identify likely problem areas, and dive into detail without losing sight of the full picture.
Strong planning and organizational skills, including the ability to build a programme schedule from scratch, identify the critical path, and keep the schedule current.
Comfort building structure in an ambiguous environment and taking a pragmatic rather than bureaucratic approach.
Clear, direct communication in English.

Responsibilities

Own end-to-end execution of product development programmes, from kick-off through hardware build, test campaigns, qualification, and delivery.
Build and maintain programme plans covering engineering, manufacturing, procurement, testing, and regulatory dependencies, and identify and resolve critical-path risks early.
Run programme reviews and cross-functional coordination meetings, document decisions, and close actions.
Work closely with propulsion and pyrotechnics engineers to track technical progress and translate it into clear programme status.
Manage external dependencies, including supplier lead times, test facility scheduling, regulatory submissions, and customer milestones.
Proactively flag scope creep, resource conflicts, and schedule risks to the department head, presenting options as well as problems.
Contribute to building the department's project management structure, tools, and ways of working alongside team leads and fellow technical project managers.

Desired Qualifications

Experience in or exposure to rocket motor, pyrotechnic, or ammunition development programmes is a strong advantage.
German language ability is an advantage.

Technical Project Manager - Propulsion & Pyrotechnics

Destinus · Zürich, Switzerland (Hybrid) · — · Posted 2026-09-30

Workplace: hybrid

Department: R&D & Engineering

Description

About the Role

As the Destinus propulsion team scales, we are building a dedicated group of Technical Project Managers to own execution of product development programmes, covering solid rocket motors, pyrotechnic components, and related systems. This frees our engineers to focus on technical depth, and our team leads on strategic leadership.

As one of the first hires in this group, you will manage projects and help build the PM structure itself alongside team leads and fellow TPMs. You own execution, schedule, coordination, risk, and delivery. The engineers run the technical depth; you run the programme.

What You’ll Do

Own end-to-end execution of product development programmes, from kick-off through hardware build, test campaigns, qualification, and delivery
Build and maintain programme plans covering engineering, manufacturing, procurement, testing, and regulatory dependencies, identify and resolve critical path risks early
Run programme reviews and cross-functional coordination meetings, keep decisions documented and actions closed
Work closely with propulsion and pyrotechnics engineers to track technical progress and translate it into clear programme status
Manage external dependencies: supplier lead times, test facility scheduling, regulatory submissions, and customer milestones
Proactively flag scope creep, resource conflicts, and schedule risk to the department head, with options, not just problems
Contribute to building the PM structure, tools, and ways of working for the department alongside team leads and fellow TPMs

Requirements

What You’ll Need

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in aerospace, mechanical, systems, or a related engineering discipline
3–6 years in a hardware-heavy development environment; at least 2 in a project management, programme coordination, or technical lead role
Background in aerospace, defence, or a similarly regulated hardware domain; familiarity with hardware development and military qualification cycles is essential
Experience in or exposure to rocket motor, pyrotechnic, or ammunition development programmes is a strong advantage
Able to manage multiple concurrent projects across engineering, manufacturing, procurement, and testing 6. Strong systems thinking, able to see the full picture, spot where the hard problems are likely to sit, and know when to dive into detail without losing sight of the overall programme
Strong planning and organizational skills, able to build a programme schedule from scratch, identify critical path, and keep it current
Comfortable building structure in an ambiguous environment, pragmatic over bureaucratic
Clear, direct communicator in English; German is an advantage

Apply

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About the Company

Destinus

European defense firm manufacturing missiles

Destinus designs and manufactures defense systems for European and allied armed forces, focusing on scalable missiles, air defense, and interception. Key products include the Ruta cruise missile and the HORNET interceptor, which can perform precision strikes and operate in GPS-denied environments with AI-assisted guidance. It serves as a prime contractor under fixed-price contracts, and collaborates on naval applications (containerized HORNET) with Rheinmetall while leading the Bliksem EXO program for Europe’s sovereign exo-atmospheric missile defense. The company aims to scale production to deliver near-term military capability for European governments and to build sovereign defense capabilities through integrated, multi-domain, cost-effective technologies.

Company size: 501-1,000
Company stage: N/A
Total funding: $267.4M
Headquarters: Valkenburg, Netherlands
Founded: 2021

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