Senior Structures Engineer

Cowboy Space • Kent, WA

3d

About The Position

Cowboy Space Corporation is building modular, scalable satellites to collect sunlight in Low Earth Orbit and support space-based energy distribution, on-orbit computing, and optical data transport. The company aims to provide resilient energy and data infrastructure for orbital operations and users on Earth.

As a Senior Structures Engineer, you will own the design and development of primary tanks and welded structures for a launch vehicle, from requirements and preliminary sizing through detailed design, fabrication, qualification, and flight. You will translate pressure, thermal, and vehicle load requirements into lightweight, reliable hardware that can be built, inspected, and tested. You will collaborate with structural analysis, fluids, propulsion, manufacturing, and test teams to develop structural architectures, define interfaces, and resolve hardware issues. The role also contributes to the team’s structural design practices and requires hands-on engagement with hardware and ownership of delivered structures.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
• 7+ years of experience designing and developing structures for flight vehicles, propulsion systems, or other high-performance hardware.
• Demonstrated ownership of metallic tanks, pressure vessels, or thin-walled welded structures from design through manufacturing and test.
• Strong fundamentals in solid mechanics, structural stability, materials behavior, and joint design, including pressure loading, buckling, fatigue, and the effects of welding on structural performance.
• Proficiency with mechanical CAD, engineering drawings, GD&T, and tolerance analysis.
• Ability to substantiate design decisions with classical hand calculations and interpret structural analysis results in partnership with analysts.
• Experience working directly with manufacturing, inspection, and test teams to resolve hardware issues.
• Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Nice To Haves

• Direct experience designing launch vehicle primary structures or cryogenic propellant tanks.
• Experience with stainless-steel tank construction, sheet and plate forming, and welded assemblies.
• Experience developing weld-joint designs and supporting weld-process qualification, including consideration of material properties, heat-affected zones, distortion, defects, and nondestructive inspection.
• Experience with reusable or repeatedly pressurized hardware, including thermal cycling, fatigue life, inspection access, and repair considerations.
• Experience supporting structural qualification campaigns, pressure testing, and failure investigations.
• Familiarity with relevant aerospace structural standards, pressure-vessel requirements, and material allowables sources such as MMPDS.
• Experience taking hardware from early development into repeatable production and improving designs based on fabrication and test results.

Responsibilities

• Own the lifecycle of primary tanks and welded structures, from requirements, architecture, and preliminary sizing through drawing release, fabrication, testing, and flight readiness.
• Design tank barrels, domes, bulkheads, weld joints, penetrations, attachments, and supporting structures with clear load paths and defined interfaces.
• Perform preliminary sizing and design trades that balance structural performance, mass, manufacturability, inspectability, cost, and schedule.
• Work with structural analysts to establish design load cases and verify strength, buckling, fatigue, and damage tolerance under pressure, thermal, and vehicle loads; incorporate analysis and test findings into designs.
• Develop and release CAD models, engineering drawings, and specifications, including material requirements, GD&T, weld details, and inspection requirements.
• Work with manufacturing and welding engineers to develop fabrication and assembly approaches that account for fit-up, tooling access, weld distortion, tolerances, and inspection access.
• Define hardware verification requirements and support proof, burst, leak, and structural testing, including test configurations, fixtures, instrumentation needs, and acceptance criteria.
• Support fabrication and test operations directly.
• Investigate anomalies and evaluate nonconformances and proposed repairs with analysis, manufacturing, and quality teams; drive design improvements.
• Lead design reviews, manage structural interfaces and configuration changes, and mentor engineers in structural design and hardware development.

Benefits

• Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance 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