Lead Configurator / Integrator

Cowboy Space•Seattle, WA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Cowboy Space Corp. is building the infrastructure to power and connect the orbital economy. Our satellites operate in Low Earth Orbit to collect sunlight and enable a new class of capabilities—from powering on-orbit compute, to transmitting energy via infrared lasers (space-to-earth and space-to-space), to delivering secure, high-bandwidth optical data. By rethinking how energy and data are generated and distributed in space, we’re unlocking entirely new ways to operate both in orbit and on Earth. Founded in 2024 by Baiju Bhatt (co-founder of Robinhood), Cowboy Space Corp. is backed by leading investors and built by a team from top aerospace and defense organizations. We’re moving quickly to solve complex technical challenges and build a new category of space infrastructure. About the Role : We are looking for a Lead Configurator / Integrator to own the physical architecture of our engines and vehicle subsystems. Reporting to the Head of Valves & Fluid Systems, you will be the person who turns a schematic into a buildable, serviceable, elegant three-dimensional reality—routing fluid conductors, packaging components into tight envelopes, designing mounting hardware, and ensuring every layout decision accounts for structural loads, thermal environments, assembly sequence, and the human who has to work on it next. You live at the intersection of sketches, CAD, physics, and AI—using every tool at your disposal to rapidly drive reality-based trade-offs into early design decisions. The ideal candidate brings an eye for elegance, a physics based intuition for load paths, fluid flow, and secondary structure, and a relentless focus on solutions that are as easy to build and maintain as they are to fly.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, or related engineering field.
5+ years of experience in configuration design, systems integration, packaging, or layout engineering for complex mechanical/fluid assemblies—preferably in aerospace, or similarly constrained environments.
High-level proficiency in 3D CAD (NX preferred) with demonstrated ability to build and manage large, multi-discipline assemblies and produce production-quality routing and installation definitions.
Strong understanding of structural loads, secondary structure design, and bracket/clamp architectures and sizing—able to assess whether a mounting solution is structurally adequate without waiting for a full stress cycle.
Hands-on experience with hardware integration: you have been on the floor during assembly, seen what works and what doesn’t, and can design for the human hand and the real tool envelope.

Nice To Haves

Experience configuring rocket engines or launch-vehicle systems: propellant routing, pneumatic lines, bleed/drain/vent lines, and engine-to-vehicle interfaces.
Familiarity with AI-assisted design tools, generative design, topology optimization, or computational layout methods—and a willingness to push these tools further to accelerate configuration decisions.
Working knowledge of tube fabrication constraints (bend radii, weld access, braze clearance, flex-hose routing rules) and how they drive routing geometry decisions.
Experience with vibration and dynamic loads on secondary structure and fluid lines: natural frequency requirements, clamp spacing rules, and anti-vibration mounting techniques.
Background in design-for-maintenance and human factors: ergonomic access analysis, maintenance task planning, or workflow driven layout optimization for serviceability and reuse.
Demonstrated creative problem-solving ability: you naturally generate multiple configuration concepts, sketch rapidly, and converge on elegant solutions that others didn’t see.

Responsibilities

Own the configuration and packaging of engine assemblies and vehicle subsystems ensuring optimal tradeoffs between, mass, volumetric efficiency within constrained envelopes, cost, and system lead time.
Design and route fluid conductors (tubing, flex lines, manifolds) and small-bore lines across engines and vehicle systems; define routing paths that minimize pressure drop, vibration exposure, and interference while respecting assembly and maintenance access.
Design component mounting hardware, brackets, clamps, and secondary structure; size and substantiate these for flight loads (vibration, acoustic, shock, thermal) with appropriate hand methods and FEA.
Drive layout decisions with explicit consideration for assembly sequence, technician access, tool clearance, refurbishment workflows, and inspection requirements—ensuring that what looks good on screen works on the shop floor.
Conduct rapid design exploration using a combination of hand sketches, parametric CAD, generative design, and AI-assisted layout tools.
Coordinate with propulsion, avionics, and mechanisms teams to resolve spatial conflicts, define interface control boundaries, and ensure subsystem layouts integrate cleanly into the vehicle architecture.
Own the “single source of truth” master configuration models, envelope definitions, keep-out zones, and integration drawings
Evaluate packaging alternatives with quantified trade criteria: mass, routing pressure drop, structural margin, assembly time, maintenance access, and failure-mode exposure, cost, and other supply chain considerations.
Support integration and build activities: resolve fit-check issues in real time, disposition assembly issues, and iterate layouts for manufacturability.
Mentor designers and junior engineers on best practices for configuration design, elegant routing, load-conscious bracketry, and design-for-serviceability principles.