Senior Multi-Disciplinary Technician

Cowboy Space • Kent, WA

2d • Onsite

About The Position

Cowboy Space Corporation is seeking a Senior or Principal Multi-Disciplinary Technician to build, integrate, and test hardware across its factory as it develops rocket manufacturing capabilities. Reporting to the Head of Manufacturing, the technician will deliver hardware across trade boundaries, including building, plumbing, wiring, machining, welding, rigging, testing, and troubleshooting flight hardware, test stands, and factory systems. The role works directly with design, manufacturing, and test engineers to resolve first-build and stalled-build problems and translate lessons learned into procedures, tooling, and training for repeatable production. It is suited to someone who can work across disciplines, lead unfamiliar builds, and identify and improve difficult processes.

This is a full-time, on-site position in Kent, Washington, within Production Engineering. The role includes hands-on assembly and integration, fluid and electrical systems work, pressurized and cryogenic testing, machining and welding, test-stand and factory-equipment support, rigging, process development, mentoring, and production documentation.

Requirements

• At least 8 years of hands-on technician experience in aerospace, launch vehicles, aviation, energy, motorsports, or a similar high-reliability industry.
• High school diploma or GED, or related vocational/technical education.
• Expert-level skill in at least two of the following, with working competence across most of the rest: mechanical assembly, fluid systems, cryogenic and high-pressure operations, electrical/avionics, machining, welding, test and instrumentation, and rigging.
• Ability to read and work from engineering drawings, GD&T, P&IDs, electrical schematics, and work instructions.
• Proficient use of calibrated tools, including torque wrenches, micrometers, calipers, height and depth gauges, and multimeters.
• Ability to set up and run manual mills and lathes to drawing tolerances.
• Ability to obtain and maintain forklift, overhead-crane, and aerial-lift qualifications.
• Ability to lift up to 50 lb unassisted, stand for extended periods, work at heights and in confined spaces, and work around high-pressure and cryogenic systems.
• Must meet the stated ITAR eligibility requirement: be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Nice To Haves

• FAA Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) certificate.
• Workmanship certifications such as IPC/WHMA-A-620, J-STD-001, or NASA-STD-8739.4.
• AWS or ASME Section IX GTAW welding certifications, or comparable aerospace welding qualifications.
• Machining trade certificate; experience with Haas, Fanuc, or Mazak controls and CAM software such as Siemens NX, Fusion 360, or Mastercam.
• Rocket engine or turbomachinery assembly and test, or launch-vehicle integration and launch-pad operations experience.
• Experience standing up a new factory, test site, or production line, including equipment installation and commissioning.
• Military technical background in aviation maintenance, nuclear, or missile systems.
• Lean or continuous-improvement experience; familiarity with MES/ERP systems and reading CAD models.
• Orbital tube-welding experience.

Responsibilities

• Assemble and integrate structural, mechanical, propulsion, fluid, and avionics subassemblies from engineering drawings, models, and work instructions, from first-article builds through rate production.
• Perform engine installation and thrust-structure and aft-end integration, including alignment, precision measurement, flight-critical torque and fastener installation, and safety wire.
• Build, install, and leak-check flight and ground fluid systems, including tube bending, flaring and swaging, fittings, valves, regulators, and seals in oxygen-clean, FOD-intolerant environments.
• Fabricate, route, terminate, and test wire harnesses and electromechanical assemblies, including continuity, hi-pot, and insulation-resistance tests; install avionics on vehicles and test stands.
• Run pressurized, pneumatic, and cryogenic operations, including proof and leak tests, functional checkouts, propellant-system conditioning, and integrated stage tests.
• Set up and operate instrumentation and data acquisition for pressure, temperature, flow, and strain; interpret P&IDs, electrical schematics, and test data.
• Lead fault isolation across mechanical, fluid, and electrical boundaries; document nonconformances and work with engineering on root cause and disposition.
• Set up and operate manual mills, lathes, drill presses, surface grinders, and saws to produce tooling, fixtures, brackets, adapters, shims, and quick-turn rework parts from drawings or sketches.
• Operate CNC mills and lathes for short-run and prototype work, including loading programs, setting work offsets and tool lengths, proving out first articles, and making basic program edits with a machinist or programmer.
• Select feeds, speeds, tooling, and workholding for aerospace materials, including aluminum, stainless steel, Inconel 718, titanium, and plastics such as PTFE and PEEK.
• Hold tolerances to +/-0.001 in. where required and inspect parts to GD&T per ASME Y14.5 using precision measurement tools.
• Perform precision hole work and hardware preparation, including drilling and reaming, tapping, thread repair, Helicoil and Keensert installation, counterboring, spot-facing, deburring, and in-situ assembly rework under engineering disposition.
• Weld flight hardware, GSE, and tooling using GTAW on stainless steel, aluminum, and nickel alloys; orbital tube welding is a plus.
• Build, commission, and maintain test stands, GSE, fluid panels, and factory utilities, including shop air, high-pressure gas, hydraulics, and cryogenic transfer lines; support installation and bring-up of production equipment.
• Perform rigging, overhead-crane, forklift, and aerial-lift operations for large structures and stage moves, including lift planning for critical lifts.
• Lead first builds and new processes hands-on by red-lining work instructions, writing procedures, specifying tooling, and moving work from development into production.
• Mentor and cross-train technicians and serve as a trainer and qualifier for internal skill certifications.
• Drive safety, quality, and efficiency through hazard identification, 5S, FOD and tool control, and design-for-manufacture feedback to engineering.
• Maintain accurate, traceable build records in MES/ERP and travelers, and flag shortages and kitting problems early.

Benefits

• Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance enrollment for employees and eligible dependents.
• 401(k) retirement savings plan.
• Paid time off.
• 10 paid holidays per calendar year.
• Paid parental leave.
• Relocation assistance if applicable.
• Daily lunch in the office and a fully stocked kitchen with beverages and snacks.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: High school or GED