Senior Mechanical Engineer (COPVs)

Impulse Space•Redondo Beach, CA

31d•Onsite

About The Position

As a Senior Mechanical Engineer at Impulse for our Vehicle Engineering Team, you will own all aspects of the design, analysis, build, test and integration of flight composite overwrapped pressure vessels – working with cross-functional engineering teams to accomplish this. This means cradle-to-grave ownership of the COPVs and development of next generation cutting edge bottles to support future vehicles and missions.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field
4+ years’ experience working with composite materials
2+ years demonstrated experience designing and analyzing COPVs, SRMs, or similar
Passion for working with composites, COPVs, and high-pressure systems
Hands on experience fabricating composite parts either at university or in industry
Strong knowledge of hand calculations for structural sizing and model validation
Strong understanding of mechanics of materials, material failure modes, and associated analysis methods
Familiarity with a wide set of manufacturing processes across both metallics and composites such as machining, forming, lamination, and winding
Proficiency with CAD software and ability to learn new tools
Demonstrated experience working collaboratively across different teams
Ability to communicate technical challenges, explain rationale and/or resolve concerns

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field
4+ years of demonstrated experience designing and analyzing highly performant structures with space-flown hardware
Experience developing COPVs shown to be used in ground or space applications
Experience with structural testing, validation, and correlation methods
Experience working on a spacecraft or launch vehicle development effort
Experience in a startup or agile development environment
Experience with NX, Teamcenter, Abaqus, and Woundsim

Responsibilities

Design, analyze, build, test, and document both innovative COPVs and COPV mounting structures
Formulate the comprehensive cradle to grave Road Map for your hardware
Automate COPV development and processes to streamline design, analysis, and documentation
Work with and strengthen relationships with key suppliers who support COPV processes, components, and materials
Size COPVs for future vehicles understanding system requirements and trade space
Support first article build through the ramp to production in collaboration with the manufacturing team, rolling in DFM and reliability improvements
Support development and qualification test campaigns in collaboration with the test team, creating test plans to gather key learnings and demonstrate flightworthiness
Establish driving load cases and environments in collaboration with the loads/dynamics and thermal teams
Collaborate effectively and frequently with manufacturing working on the shop floor to understand fabrication processes, incorporate feedback, and address needs