Senior Combustion Devices Engineer II / Principal Combustion Devices Engineer

Rocket Lab Corporation•Long Beach, CA

5d•$132,000 - $270,000•Onsite

About The Position

Based out of Rocket Lab's headquarters in Long Beach, CA, the Principal/Senior Combustion Devices Engineer will be responsible for the development of one or more combustion devices (preburners, main injectors, thrust chambers assemblies and vacuum nozzles). These devices are an integral portion of the 200,000 lbf Archimedes engine, which operates in a demanding but efficient ox-rich, staged combustion architecture. In this role, you’ll take ownership of all aspects of a component: design and analysis, manufacturing and test support, and successful flights and subsequent, high-cadence, re-flights. By doing so, you will help propel the Neutron rocket, expanding human capabilities in space and providing value to the company and its shareholders.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline or equivalent
8+ years of combustion device design experience (for Senior level)
12+ years of combustion device design experience (for Principal level)
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.
Work with the interface owners, like turbomachinery and engine systems teams, to make a high-end product that could be iterated fast and seamlessly.
Work with manufacturing and build engineers to design easily manufacturable, cost-effective, beautiful parts.
Work with the test and launch teams to interpret data and provide solutions to enable a high cadence – of tests, flights and re-flights.

Benefits

Company stock as part of your total compensation package
Employee Stock Purchase Program (with a 15% discount on company stock)
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 our popular merch store
Variety of other employee discounts