Mechanical Engineer III - Tank Qualification Lead

Quantum Space•Rockville, MD

17h•$145,000 - $200,000

About The Position

Quantum Space is seeking a technically accomplished Mechanical Engineer III – Tank Qualification Lead to lead the design, development, qualification, and acceptance of spacecraft propellant tanks and associated pressurized fluid system hardware. The role leads tank qualification activities, including engineering requirements, structural and pressure-integrity assessments, qualification planning, test execution, and certification documentation. It works across propulsion, mechanical, materials, manufacturing, quality, and systems engineering to ensure hardware meets structural, pressure, environmental, and mission-performance requirements. The engineer independently leads tank qualification efforts, makes technical decisions within their area of responsibility, and coordinates cross-functional engineering activities from design through qualification and flight readiness. The position calls for expertise in pressure-vessel engineering, structural mechanics, materials, manufacturing processes, and qualification testing, as well as hands-on hardware development and test leadership.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Materials Engineering, or a related technical field.
At least 7 years of experience in mechanical engineering, pressure-vessel design, propulsion systems, or aerospace hardware development.
Demonstrated experience designing, developing, testing, or qualifying pressure vessels, propellant tanks, or other pressurized aerospace hardware.
Strong understanding of pressure-vessel mechanics, structural integrity, stress analysis, pressure loading, fatigue, fracture mechanics, and failure modes.
Experience developing pressure-vessel qualification plans, test procedures, acceptance criteria, and certification documentation.
Demonstrated experience supporting or leading proof-pressure, burst-pressure, leak-testing, and other pressure-vessel qualification activities.
Experience evaluating material properties, manufacturing processes, weld integrity, and material compatibility for pressure-containing hardware.
Familiarity with pressure-vessel design standards, aerospace structural design requirements, and applicable industry codes and specifications.
Experience with structural-analysis tools such as ANSYS, NASTRAN, Abaqus, or equivalent.
Experience developing and reviewing mechanical drawings, engineering specifications, interface requirements, and bills of material.
Ability to interpret test data, correlate analytical models, investigate hardware anomalies, and develop technically sound corrective actions.
Experience coordinating engineering, manufacturing, quality, supplier, and test organizations to achieve hardware qualification milestones.
Strong technical leadership, analytical, problem-solving, documentation, and communication skills.
Ability to independently lead complex engineering activities and drive technical execution in a fast-paced spacecraft development environment.
Applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, protected individual per 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain required U.S. Department of State authorizations, to comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Materials Engineering, or a related technical field.
Experience qualifying spacecraft propellant tanks, high-pressure gas vessels, composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs), or other flight-qualified pressure systems.
Experience with spacecraft propulsion systems, including propellant storage, pressurization systems, fluid delivery, and tank-to-propulsion interfaces.
Familiarity with metallic pressure-vessel construction, including aluminum alloys, titanium alloys, stainless steels, and specialized aerospace materials.
Experience with welded, brazed, bonded, or additively manufactured pressure-vessel structures.
Familiarity with ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, applicable NASA pressure-vessel standards, MIL-STD requirements, and aerospace-specific pressure-system design criteria.
Experience with non-destructive inspection (NDI/NDE) methods, including radiography, ultrasonic inspection, penetrant inspection, and other applicable techniques.
Experience developing and executing pressure-cycling, fatigue, leak, proof, burst, and environmental qualification campaigns.
Familiarity with fracture control, damage tolerance, material allowables, and life-prediction methodologies.
Experience with pressure-vessel manufacturing readiness, supplier qualification, weld-procedure qualification, and production acceptance.
Experience supporting spacecraft environmental testing, including vibration, shock, and thermal-vacuum testing.
Familiarity with engineering configuration-management and requirements tools such as Jama, DOORS, JIRA, and Confluence.
Programming or engineering-analysis experience using Python, MATLAB, or similar tools.
Experience supporting U.S. Space Force, Space Systems Command (SSC), Space Development Agency (SDA), AFRL, NASA, NRO, or other national security space programs.
Active U.S. security clearance or ability to obtain one.

Responsibilities

Lead end-to-end qualification activities for spacecraft propellant tanks, pressure vessels, and associated pressurized fluid system hardware.
Establish and manage tank qualification requirements, design criteria, qualification plans, test specifications, and acceptance requirements.
Lead the development and evaluation of tank structural designs, pressure boundaries, interfaces, and mechanical configurations.
Perform and review pressure-vessel structural analyses, including stress, strain, buckling, fatigue, fracture mechanics, and burst-margin assessments.
Evaluate tank performance under operating, proof, burst, and qualification pressure conditions, including applicable structural and environmental load cases.
Develop qualification and acceptance test strategies, including proof-pressure, burst-pressure, leak, pressure-cycle, thermal-cycle, and other required environmental or functional testing.
Lead tank qualification test campaigns, coordinating facilities, instrumentation, procedures, hardware readiness, and engineering resources.
Establish test configurations, instrumentation requirements, data-collection approaches, and acceptance criteria.
Evaluate test results, correlate analytical predictions with measured performance, and resolve discrepancies between analysis and test data.
Lead technical investigations into tank anomalies, test failures, nonconformances, and manufacturing defects, including root-cause analysis and corrective-action development.
Coordinate with materials engineering on material selection, compatibility, weld properties, manufacturing processes, and material performance.
Work with propulsion engineering to ensure tank designs and interfaces support propellant storage, pressurization, fluid delivery, and spacecraft operational requirements.
Partner with manufacturing and quality teams to establish fabrication requirements, inspection methods, weld qualification requirements, process controls, and production acceptance criteria.
Develop and maintain tank qualification reports, structural-analysis documentation, material traceability records, test procedures, and certification packages.
Evaluate supplier technical capabilities, manufacturing processes, inspection plans, and qualification data for pressure-vessel hardware.
Support design reviews, manufacturing readiness reviews, Material Review Boards, Test Readiness Reviews, and qualification reviews.
Provide technical leadership and guidance to mechanical, materials, manufacturing, and test engineers supporting tank development and qualification.
Support spacecraft integration, environmental testing, and flight-readiness activities.
Contribute to continuous-improvement initiatives for pressure-vessel design practices, qualification methods, test processes, and engineering standards.