Senior Propulsion Systems Engineer

3 weeks ago

Hawthorne, California, United States SpaceX Full time
Job Summary

We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Propulsion Systems Engineer to join our team at SpaceX. This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a dynamic and innovative company that is pushing the boundaries of space technology.

About the Role

As a Senior Propulsion Systems Engineer, you will be responsible for owning all aspects of ongoing Merlin Main Injector Assembly design, development, qualification, and production support. You will utilize your strong technical knowledge of metallic structures, elastomeric goods, mechanical and fluid fundamentals to ensure maximum reliability of the Merlin engine.

You will fully integrate with the Merlin development, refurb, and flight operations teams as we fly commercial, national security, and crewed missions at a pace of 50+ flights per year. Your responsibilities will include:

  • Main Injector Design and Development: Generate accurate, precise, and thoughtfully-dimensioned CAD models and drawings, with appropriate design for manufacturing/assembly (DFMA) considerations.
  • Structural Analysis: Review and/or update detailed structural analysis on all the main injector components/systems, and confirm that they meet the required standards for structural margin, fatigue life, etc.
  • Tolerance Stack-Ups and Seal Compression: Understand the detailed assembly and tolerance stack-ups required for assessing seal compression and extrusion for both static and dynamics seals.
  • Manufacturing Support: Work with manufacturing engineers to ensure main injector and key sub-assemblies are manufactured correctly, efficiently and that all processes are value-added.
  • Design Improvements: Lead ongoing design, manufacturing or reliability improvements to the Main Injector, and ensure the changes are properly qualified.
  • Team Collaboration: Work with teams developing other systems on the engine (combustion devices, valves, etc.) to have a deep understanding of the implications your part will have on adjacent/supporting systems.
  • Issue Resolution: Lead the resolution of issues encountered with the main injector during testing, flight operations or engine refurbishment in a timely fashion.
Requirements

To be successful in this role, you will need:

  • A Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline
  • 1+ years of academic or professional experience in combustion devices or engine design (includes internships, personal projects, and school or team projects)
Preferred Qualifications

We are looking for candidates with:

  • A Master's degree in an engineering discipline
  • Strong fundamentals of structural mechanics, fatigue and fracture. Experience with stress analysis (ANSYS), fatigue and fracture calculations are strongly preferred.
  • Strong fluid flow and heat transfer fundamentals. Experience with CFD or fluent is not required, but value-added.
  • Hands-on experience with rocket engines, automotive engine design, dynamic or complex static fluid systems, etc.
  • Professional experience using Siemens NX (Unigraphics)
  • Experience with manufacturing processes such as CNC mill/lathe, welding, castings, additive, etc. Proficient with the fundamentals of Design for Manufacturing/Assembly (DFMA)
  • A great attitude in the face of extreme technical and schedule challenges
  • Experience at a nimble engineering organization or in a highly technical position that required a scrappy, entrepreneurial manner to accomplish tasks with tight time or budget constraints
  • Project experience or full professional engineering lifecycle experience (design trade, CAD design, prototyping, manufacturing, testing, qualification, production, reuse) is desired
  • Demonstrated track record of excellent academic and professional achievement
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with both internal and external customers
  • Ability to deliver against an aggressive schedule, without sacrificing safety or reliability
  • Experience making risk evaluations and/or supporting root cause investigations
Additional Requirements

This role requires:

  • A willingness to travel in support of testing, launching, and refurbishing (~15% of year)
  • A willingness to work extended hours and weekends as needed to resolve critical technical issues
Salary and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $95,000 - $115,000 per year, depending on level of experience. In addition to a competitive salary, you will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks.

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