Senior Combustion Devices Engineer II / Principal Combustion Devices Engineer

Rocket Lab•Long Beach, CA

4d•Onsite

About The Position

Rocket Lab is an end-to-end space company building rockets, spacecraft, and critical subsystems. The Neutron rocket is a medium-lift launch vehicle designed to deliver mega constellations, interplanetary payloads, and support human spaceflight. As a reusable platform, Neutron aims to provide a cost-effective and reliable launch solution. This role is based in Long Beach, CA, and focuses on the development of combustion devices for the Archimedes engine, an integral part of the Neutron rocket. The engineer will own all aspects of a component, from design and analysis to manufacturing, test support, and flight qualification, contributing to the success of the Neutron rocket and the company's growth.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline or equivalent
8+ years of combustion device design experience (for Senior role)
12+ years of combustion device design experience (for Principal role)
In-depth knowledge of combustion and fluid dynamics, heat transfer and structural mechanics.
Fundamental understanding of design principals and manufacturing methods.

Nice To Haves

Master’s or a PhD.
Advanced proficiency in NX, ANSYS Mechanical, StarCCM, MATLAB and GD&T.
Proficiency in niche software like: TDK, ROCCID, PERCORP, CEA, ROCETS.
Reacting flow CFD.
Expertise in high-speed data/video analysis in time and frequency domains.
Experience with designing reusable, propulsively landing rocket engines.
Experience in an iterative and scrappy development environment.

Responsibilities

Design, analyze, and perform trades studies to achieve programmatic targets.
Define requirements, test and flight qualification plans.
Collaborate with interface owners, such as turbomachinery and engine systems teams, to develop a high-end product that can be iterated quickly and seamlessly.
Work with manufacturing and build engineers to design easily manufacturable, cost-effective components.
Support test and launch teams by interpreting data and providing solutions to enable a high cadence of tests, flights, and re-flights.

Benefits

Company stock as part of total compensation package
Employee Stock Purchase Program (with a 15% discount)
Top-tier medical plans (HMO, PPO, and a zero cost HDHP option with a significant HSA company contribution)
Dental and vision coverage
Paid vacation and sick time
11 paid holidays
Flexible spending and dependent care accounts
Paid parental leave
Disability and life insurance
401(k) retirement plan with company match
Subsidized EV charging
Onsite fitness centers (where available)
Discounted gym memberships
Complimentary snacks and beverages
50% employee discount on merchandise
Variety of other employee discounts