Propulsion Systems Engineer II

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

22h•$118,872 - $143,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Level II Propulsion Systems Engineer works in JPL’s Chemical Propulsion Systems Group within the Thermal, Propulsion, and Materials Engineering Section. The section provides expertise in chemical and electric propulsion, thermal engineering, materials, contamination control, analytical chemistry, and multiphase flow, and supports the design, analysis, fabrication, testing, integration, and operation of thermal and propulsion flight systems for JPL missions. The role supports chemical propulsion system development across the project lifecycle, from architecture and design through analysis, testing, integration, and verification. It includes hands-on assembly, integration, and test work; support for flight hardware deliveries and vendors; propulsion system analyses and model development; ground test planning and execution; and participation in spacecraft propulsion operations and anomaly investigations. The engineer collaborates with the propulsion team and communicates technical methods, assumptions, and results to project teams and management. The position reports to the Group Supervisor.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical discipline and at least 3 years of related experience; alternatively, a master’s degree and at least 1 year of related experience.
Strong fundamentals or demonstrated work experience applying advanced compressible and incompressible fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, heat and mass transfer, and rocket propulsion principles to propulsion systems.
Demonstrated ability to create and understand fluid schematics (P&IDs) and mechanical drawings.
Familiarity with developing, supporting, and conducting propulsion subsystem ground testing.
Ability to perform first-order hand calculations and Excel-level calculations.
Practical experience with commercial CAD and PDM software; Siemens NX and Teamcenter are preferred.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.
Proficiency with programming languages; MATLAB is preferred.
Ability to report and present complex design, analytical, and test results clearly to multidisciplinary teams.
Ability to work as a team member and independently with limited supervision when given general instructions.

Nice To Haves

Basic understanding of spacecraft propulsion system-level interfaces, including mechanical, thermal, and electrical interfaces that affect propulsion subsystem design and operation.
Working knowledge of designing, releasing, and fabricating ground support test hardware.
Familiarity with hardware qualification and acceptance test processes and campaigns.
Experience supporting anomaly investigations, including root-cause analysis and development of corrective actions.
Experience performing spacecraft propulsion subsystem analyses and creating related tools or code, such as for flow-pressure drop and test data reduction.
Experience validating analytical models through correlation with literature or test data, identifying discrepancies, and implementing model refinements.
Hands-on knowledge and experience with commercial CFD tools such as Star-CCM+ and/or ANSYS, and commercial analytical tools such as SINDA/FLUINT and/or GFSSP.
Uses discretion and independent judgment when evaluating problem-solving approaches and solutions.
Excellent verbal and written technical communication skills and ability to collaborate in a team environment.

Responsibilities

Provide systems engineering, design, analysis, and test support for chemical propulsion system architectures throughout the project lifecycle.
Contribute to and execute hands-on propulsion system assembly, integration, and test activities.
Support propulsion flight hardware deliveries and work with external component vendors, including environmental and hot-fire test support and verification of vendor processes and documentation.
Participate in component- and system-level problem resolution and anomaly investigations.
Assist with conducting and monitoring spacecraft propulsion operations.
Perform spacecraft chemical propulsion subsystem static and transient analyses, including flow-pressure drop, system sizing, blowdown, and waterhammer analyses.
Update, optimize, and improve existing analysis tools and system models.
Generate documentation and user manuals for internally developed analysis tools and models.
Develop and execute ground tests to validate and anchor analysis models, and analyze and reduce test data.
Collaborate with the propulsion team on analysis peer checks and provide systems design inputs.
Prepare and communicate analysis methodology, assumptions, and analytical and test results to the team, project, and management.