Spaceflight Propulsion Engineer - Mid-Career (BT-26210)

Bastion Technologies•Houston, TX

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Spaceflight Propulsion Engineer will support the space program in Houston, Texas. The role applies engineering principles in fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, heat transfer, materials, structures, and machine design to propulsion and spacecraft pressure systems. The engineer independently performs or leads analyses, develops and validates models and tools, evaluates system architectures, and communicates technical assumptions, methods, findings, and limitations. The position provides technical oversight of propulsion components, suppliers, and hardware development, including design and documentation reviews. It supports or leads hardware development from concept through fabrication, assembly, testing, integration, certification, and operation. Duties include evaluating test and verification evidence, investigating anomalies and nonconformances, developing recommendations for disposition and risk mitigation, coordinating action-item closure, and supporting pressure-system safety, cleanliness, contamination control, and integration requirements. The engineer coordinates technical work with NASA program and project offices, spacecraft organizations, suppliers, contractors, and international partners. The role also includes organizing reviews and technical issues, presenting status and risks, participating in mission simulations, vehicle checkouts, propulsion console operations, and flight support, and providing guidance and mentoring to less experienced engineers. Travel may be required. The position is onsite in Houston and offers a 9/80 schedule, with every other Friday off. Schedules may change based on position or customer requirements. The work may take place in office, laboratory, supplier, integration, and mission-operations environments, and may involve inside or outside work depending on the task. Employees must be able to pass a national agency check; some assignments require clearance and extensive background verification. A pre-employment drug screen and periodic random drug and alcohol screenings are required.

Requirements

Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident due to the sensitivity of customer-related information.
Must have experience in the space industry or Department of Defense/Department of War.
Must have a bachelor's degree in engineering.
Must have a minimum of 5 years of recent and related work experience.
Demonstrated knowledge of fluid mechanics and thermodynamics.
Working knowledge of heat transfer, engineering materials, mechanical systems, structures, or machine design.
Experience analyzing propulsion, pressure, fluid, or thermal systems.
Experience supporting hardware development, testing, integration, certification, or operation.
Experience processing, analyzing, and interpreting engineering or test data.
Ability to evaluate requirements, technical drawings, analyses, test plans, test results, and verification evidence.
Ability to investigate technical issues and develop defensible engineering recommendations.
Ability to assess component-level issues in a broader system and vehicle context.
Ability to organize and coordinate multiple technical activities and priorities.
Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with multidisciplinary teams.
Ability to communicate risks, uncertainties, and dissenting technical positions appropriately.
Willingness and ability to transition among branch assignments as organizational needs change.
Ability to work effectively in laboratory, supplier, integration, mission-operations, and office environments.
Ability and willingness to travel when required by the assignment.
Must have experience with Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams.
Must be a team player with strong work ethics and a culture-oriented approach.
Must communicate effectively, verbally and in writing, with internal and external customers.
Must follow company programs, processes, procedures, practices, requirements, goals, and objectives.
Must be organized, have good time-management skills, and be able to work outside the normal schedule and adjust schedules for peak periods and surge requirements.
Regular attendance in accordance with an established work schedule is critical.
Must be able to pass a national agency check; some positions require clearance and extensive background verification.
Must pass a pre-employment drug screen and participate in periodic random drug and alcohol screenings.

Nice To Haves

Experience with spacecraft propulsion or aerospace pressure systems.
Experience with human-rated spacecraft or other safety-critical flight systems.
Experience with valves, regulators, tanks, filters, sensors, pressure vessels, tubing, and related mechanical hardware.
Experience with component- or system-level test planning, execution, and data evaluation.
Experience with acceptance, qualification, thermal-vacuum, vibration, or other environmental testing.
Experience with flight-hardware integration and certification.
Experience investigating anomalies, nonconformances, or unexpected test results.
Experience preparing or evaluating hazard reports, variances, waivers, risks, changes, or certification packages.
Experience overseeing suppliers, prime contractors, or sub-tier contractors.
Experience with requirements development and verification.
Knowledge of pressure-system safety, hardware cleanliness, and contamination-control requirements.
Proficiency with Python, MATLAB, or comparable analysis tools.
Experience with Thermal Desktop or comparable thermal-analysis software.
Experience with CAD software, including Creo or a comparable platform.
Experience with propulsion console operations, mission simulations, vehicle checkouts, or flight support.
Experience working with configuration-management, work-order, issue-tracking, or document-control systems.
Experience developing small-spacecraft propulsion systems or rapid-turnaround flight hardware.
Experience leading technical tasks or mentoring early-career engineers.

Responsibilities

Apply fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, heat transfer, materials, structures, and machine-design principles to propulsion and spacecraft pressure systems.
Independently perform or lead propulsion and pressure-system analyses.
Develop, review, and validate fluid-flow, pressure-system, thermodynamic, and thermal models.
Develop and maintain engineering analysis and data-processing tools using Python, MATLAB, or similar software.
Evaluate system architectures and lead or contribute to technical trade studies.
Establish technical assumptions, document analysis methods, and communicate results and limitations.
Assess component-to-system and system-to-vehicle technical effects.
Provide technical oversight of propulsion components, suppliers, and hardware-development activities.
Review designs, drawings, material selections, fabrication methods, assembly processes, and acceptance criteria.
Support or lead propulsion hardware development from concept through fabrication, assembly, test, integration, and operation.
Plan, coordinate, witness, or evaluate component- and system-level tests.
Review acceptance-test data, qualification reports, verification evidence, and flight-readiness documentation.
Evaluate test results and determine whether available evidence satisfies technical and program requirements.
Lead or support investigations of anomalies, nonconformances, and unexpected system behavior.
Develop technically defensible recommendations for issue disposition and risk mitigation.
Review and coordinate closure of variances, nonconformance reports, hazard reports, changes, waivers, reuse documentation, and certification action items.
Develop verification approaches and support formal certification of propulsion systems and flight hardware.
Assess pressure-system safety, cleanliness, contamination-control, and hardware-integration requirements.
Support propulsion-system integration with spacecraft, test vehicles, or small satellites.
Coordinate technical activities with NASA program and project offices, spacecraft organizations, suppliers, prime contractors, sub-tier contractors, and international partners.
Organize and track concurrent document reviews, technical issues, risks, and action items.
Delegate or coordinate reviews with appropriate hardware and technical points of contact.
Prepare and present technical status, risks, nonconformances, and recommendations to program stakeholders.
Participate in mission simulations, vehicle checkouts, propulsion console operations, and flight support.
Provide technical guidance and mentoring to less experienced engineers.
Travel to supplier, test, integration, launch, or program locations when required.
Perform other duties as required.