Senior Mechanical Engineer

Location: United States, Onsite

We are a rocket manufacturing company developing launch vehicles and propulsion systems that require highly reliable, precision engineered hardware. We are seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer to join our Valves and Fluid Systems team and lead the design, development and qualification of critical fluid components used throughout our vehicles. This is a high accountability, hands on engineering role where you will own hardware from early design through flight.

This position is ideal for someone who is equally strong in mechanical design fundamentals and hands on engineering work. We are looking for an engineer who can design mechanisms and fluid components from first principles, understand manufacturing constraints, run analyses, assemble and test their own hardware, and work effectively on the floor with technicians and cross functional teams.

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Role Overview

As a Senior Mechanical Engineer, you will design valves, actuators, plumbing assemblies, quick disconnects and other fluid system components. You will develop these systems through analysis, prototyping, environmental testing and hot fire campaigns. You will take full ownership of your designs, ensuring they are manufacturable, testable and flight ready.

This is not a systems engineering role. We need someone who can design the individual parts that form a mechanism or assembly, perform the necessary calculations and analyses and produce drawings that can go directly to the shop. If you have designed gearboxes, linkages, housings, actuators or similar mechanical systems, you will be a strong fit.

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Key Responsibilities

Mechanical Design and Analysis

• Own the full mechanical design of valves, actuators, seals and fluid components
• Perform hand calculations, force balance analyses, free body diagrams, tolerance analysis and FEA for structural and thermal loads
• Select materials based on properties, compatibility, manufacturability and performance in cryogenic and high pressure environments
• Apply mechanism design principles to develop reliable, repeatable hardware

Drawings, GD&T and Manufacturing Collaboration

• Generate detailed engineering drawings with GD&T that reflect actual manufacturing needs
• Work directly with machine shops and manufacturing engineers to incorporate feedback
• Understand machining, welding, brazing, casting, waterjet, laser cutting and other fabrication processes
• Develop hardware that is realistic to manufacture while meeting tight performance requirements

Fluids and Sealing

• Apply fluid mechanics fundamentals to high pressure gas, hydraulic and cryogenic systems
• Understand seal selection, O ring and dynamic seal design, leakage considerations and fluid compatibility
• Contribute to fluid component and plumbing architecture based on system requirements

Prototyping, Assembly and Testing

• Assemble, test and debug your own hardware
• Create test plans and execute testing in support of development, qualification and hot fire objectives
• Work hands on with technicians, instrumentation specialists and test engineers
• Comfortably use hand tools, torque tools, fixturing and basic shop equipment
• Experience with a mill or lathe is strongly preferred

Systems Integration and Documentation

• Deliver complete engineering documentation packages including drawings, specifications, analyses and test requirements
• Collaborate with propulsion, structures and test operations to ensure seamless integration
• Support program reviews, requirements development and design maturity milestones

Leadership and Mentorship

• Provide technical guidance to junior engineers
• Contribute to team standards, design practices and continuous improvement initiatives

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Required Experience

The strongest candidates will have:

• Four or more years of mechanical engineering experience in aerospace, defense or other high reliability fields
• Demonstrated ownership of hardware from concept through flight or production
• Strong mechanical design fundamentals, including bolted joints, housings, linkages, rotating or sliding mechanisms
• Experience performing structural and thermal analysis, both hand calculations and FEA
• Proficiency in CAD (NX, SolidWorks or similar) and creation of detailed drawings with GD&T
• Deep understanding of manufacturing processes and how they influence design
• Strong competence in hands on assembly, testing and debugging of mechanical hardware
• A bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering or similar

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Desired Multipliers

• Experience designing high pressure systems above 6000 psi or cryogenic fluid components
• Background in mechanisms such as actuators, arm/fire devices or similar systems
• Experience delivering full technical data packages, compliance documents and supporting PDR, CDR and TRR milestones
• Familiarity with ASME, NASA or MIL standards
• Experience leading failure investigations with well documented corrective actions
• Startup or rapid development environment experience
• Track record of mentoring or leading multi disciplinary technical efforts