Propulsion Engineer

Responsibilities:

• Lead the propulsion subsystem’s progression through design reviews, qualification, system fabrication, acceptance testing, and integration, ensuring alignment with SEI, human-rating, and milestone review requirements.
• Define propulsion system-level requirements, decompose to components, and maintain full traceability through interface control documentation and verification plans.
• Coordinate with systems engineering, safety/mission assurance, and external partners to ensure the propulsion system satisfies safety, performance, and reliability requirements.
• Manage component- and system-level test plans, direct ground test campaigns, oversee anomaly resolution, and ensure generation of verification evidence for review boards.
• Oversee supplier selection, procurement, and qualification of propulsion components such as thrusters, valves, regulators, tanks, and feed systems.
• Direct or review analyses and simulations of propulsion system behavior including fluid dynamics, thermal loads, and structural coupling using industry tools such as GFSSP, Easy5, ANSYS/Fluent, Thermal Desktop, or similar.
• Lead human-rating compliance activities, including fault tolerance verification, FMEA, FTA, hazard analyses, redundancy validation, and control of catastrophic hazard risks.
• Ensure compliance with NASA and industry hardware standards.
• Mentor propulsion engineers, fostering technical excellence, system-level understanding, and accountability throughout the program lifecycle General.

• Requirements:
• BS or MS in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering from an accredited engineering school (MS preferred).
• 10 years of experience in propulsion development, with significant experience in human rated or NASA-class systems.
• Deep familiarity with human-rating and crewed systems engineering processes, standards, certification flow, and SEI products.
• Strong knowledge of propulsion system fundamentals, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and combustion processes, including but not limited to high-pressure plumbing, hypergolic propellants, high-temperature systems, valves, and regulators.
• Proven track record of taking propulsion hardware from design through build, test, and flight.
• Hands-on or oversight experience with hardware fabrication and testing at component and system levels.
• Working familiarity with analytical and simulation tools, with the ability to interpret results and guide their application.
• Strong technical writing, data presentation, and review capabilities.
• Excellent communication skills, comfortable engaging with government reviewers and supplier partners.

Preferred Experience:

• Previous role as propulsion or subsystem lead in a human-rated program.
• Experience overseeing flight hardware manufacturing, acceptance, and integration under human-rating standards.
• Experience with propulsion hardware testing, certification, and supplier qualification.