Parachute Systems Engineer

The Aerospace Corporation•El Segundo, CA

1d•$151,300 - $226,900•Onsite

About The Position

The Aerospace Corporation is seeking a Parachute Systems Engineer (Senior Project Engineer – Mechanical Engineering) to support NASA human spaceflight programs. The role provides embedded technical advice and government surveillance for parachute systems used on SpaceX Dragon, Boeing Starliner, and NASA Orion spacecraft, helping ensure quality, safety, and mission assurance from fabrication through post-flight inspection. The engineer will work as a resident engineer at the parachute manufacturing facility, providing NASA with direct visibility into fabrication, build, and processing activities. Responsibilities span the parachute lifecycle, including fabrication, testing, packing, installation, and post-flight inspection, as well as monitoring manufacturing quality and identifying risks and improvements. This is a full-time, 100% onsite position at Airborne Systems in Santa Ana, California. Regular travel may be required to NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida and other NASA or contractor facilities; the posting estimates travel at approximately 10%.

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 roles at a contractor facility.
Working knowledge of textile or parachute materials, fabrication processes, or similarly complex mechanical or 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 produce 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 occasionally (approximately 10%) to NASA Kennedy Space Center and other program locations.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
Prior 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

Support NASA's human-rated parachute systems for the SpaceX Dragon, Boeing Starliner, and NASA Orion programs.
Serve as a resident engineer at the parachute manufacturing facility, providing continuous on-the-ground visibility into fabrication, build, and processing activities.
Provide engineering expertise throughout 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 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 benefits of 8%, 10%, or 12% of eligible compensation based on years of service, plus matching contributions; employees are immediately eligible and vested upon hire.
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.