Parachute Systems Engineer
About The Position
The Aerospace Corporation is seeking a Parachute Systems Engineer (Senior Project Engineer – Mechanical Engineering) to support NASA human spaceflight parachute systems for SpaceX Dragon, Boeing Starliner, and NASA Orion. The role provides embedded technical advising and government surveillance at the parachute manufacturing source, helping ensure quality, safety, and mission assurance from fabrication through post-flight inspection. The engineer will be based full-time onsite at Airborne Systems in Santa Ana, California, with occasional travel to NASA Kennedy Space Center and other NASA or contractor facilities as mission activities require. The position supports parachute lifecycle activities including fabrication, build, processing, testing, packing, installation, and post-flight inspection.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Materials Engineering, or a related STEM discipline.
- 10 or more years of experience in aerospace manufacturing, systems engineering, quality assurance, or hardware integration, with direct exposure to flight hardware fabrication and/or test environments.
- Demonstrated experience with manufacturing surveillance, in-process inspection, or government/customer representative work at a contractor facility.
- Working knowledge of textile/parachute materials, fabrication processes, or similarly complex mechanical/structural assembly operations.
- Familiarity with FOD prevention and contamination control practices in a controlled manufacturing environment.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare clear technical status reports and communicate issues to NASA technical leadership.
- Willingness to work full-time onsite at the parachute manufacturer’s facility and travel approximately 10% to NASA Kennedy Space Center and other program locations as required.
Nice To Haves
- Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
- Direct experience supporting NASA human spaceflight parachute programs, such as Orion, Commercial Crew Program, or CPAS, or similar crew-rated recovery systems.
- Experience as a NASA or DoD resident engineer, source inspector, or quality assurance representative at a contractor manufacturing facility.
- Familiarity with NASA Product Assurance requirements, government surveillance processes, and associated documentation and reporting standards.
- Experience with post-flight hardware inspection, anomaly investigation, and disposition of recovered flight hardware.
Responsibilities
- Serve as a technical member of NASA’s Parachute team supporting human-rated parachute systems for SpaceX Dragon, Boeing Starliner, and NASA Orion.
- Act as a resident engineer at the parachute manufacturing facility, providing NASA with ongoing visibility into fabrication, build, and processing activities.
- Provide engineering expertise across the parachute lifecycle, including fabrication, build, processing, testing, packing, installation, and post-flight inspection of flight hardware.
- Monitor manufacturing processes, foreign object debris (FOD) and contamination control practices, and technician work certifications for compliance with program requirements and quality standards.
- Execute Product Assurance Actions for NASA, including in-process witnessing, documentation review, and identification of non-conformances.
- Anticipate schedule and quality risks across fabrication and test activities and identify issues before they affect flight readiness.
- Build working relationships with NASA engineering teams, manufacturing personnel, and program stakeholders to resolve technical issues.
- Identify improvements to manufacturing surveillance, inspection techniques, and quality assurance practices.
Benefits
- Comprehensive health care and wellness plans
- Paid holidays, sick time, and vacation
- Standard and alternate work schedules, including telework options
- 401(k) plan with company-paid contributions based on years of service and matching contributions; immediate eligibility and vesting
- Flexible spending accounts
- Variable pay program for exceptional contributions
- Relocation assistance
- Professional growth and development programs
- Education assistance programs
- Inclusive work environment built on teamwork, flexibility, and respect
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
