Aerospace Weld Engineer – Flight Tanks & Structures

LEAP; Broomfield (CO); Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity program

401(k) plan with company match

Professional development stipend

Unlimited PTO

Hybrid work model

Job summary

LEAP is seeking a Launch Vehicle Structures Weld Engineer to lead welding process design, qualification, and production support for propellant tanks and unpressurized structures on suborbital and orbital launch vehicles in Colorado. You will own weld procedure qualification, joint design, fixturing, and distortion control to ensure flight-worthy welds.

Collaboration with NDE, stress teams, and fixture design is essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Welding Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, or related field. (Required)
• 5+ years of experience developing and qualifying weld processes for aerospace or high-performance pressure vessels. (Required)
• Strong understanding of weld setup, joint design, fixturing, and distortion control.
• Strong understanding of weld metallurgy, defects, and NDE methods.
• Ability to work directly on the shop floor in a fast-paced startup environment.
• Experience operating under aggressive schedules with flight-critical hardware.

Responsibilities

• Develop, qualify, and maintain welding procedures (WPS/PQR) for propellant tanks and pressure vessels, ensuring weld processes are certified, repeatable, and compliant with structural, fracture-control, and pressure-vessel requirements for flight hardware
• Define weld joint designs, fit-up requirements, and weld sequencing in collaboration with design and structures teams, ensuring load paths, distortion control, and structural margins are maintained while enabling repeatable, high-quality production welds
• Establish process windows, parameter control, and acceptance criteria, resulting in reduced variability, fewer weld defects, and improved first-pass inspection acceptance
• Support tooling design and fixture development to control alignment and distortion, ensuring dimensional accuracy, structural integrity, and repeatable weld quality across production hardware
• Troubleshoot weld defects, distortion, and variability to maintain qualified welding processes and consistent production performance
• Provide daily support to tank fabrication and assembly operations, ensuring welding processes are executed correctly, issues are resolved in real time, and production progresses safely, efficiently, and to flight-quality standards

Skills

Weld setup understanding

Joint design & fixturing

Distortion control

Weld metallurgy & NDE

Shop floor execution

Flight-critical hardware experience

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Welding Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering

Job description

LEAP is seeking a Launch Vehicle Structures Weld Engineer to lead welding process design, qualification, and production support for propellant tanks and unpressurized structures on suborbital and orbital launch vehicles in Colorado. You will own weld procedure qualification, joint design, fixturing, and distortion control to ensure flight-worthy welds.

Collaboration with NDE, stress teams, and fixture design is essential.