Fluids Engineer, Propulsion Valves & Feedlines

Socket.dev; Kent (WA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 195,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.

Medical, dental & vision insurance

401(k) retirement savings plan

Paid time off

10 paid holidays per year

Paid parental leave

Relocation assistance

Daily lunch and stocked kitchen

Job summary

Cowboy Space Corp. is seeking a Fluids Engineer to own fluid subsystems from concept to flight. You will design propulsion-related fluid components and systems, optimize for weight, and ensure reliability across ground, ascent, and orbital environments.

You will collaborate with propulsion, structures, thermal, and avionics teams to translate requirements into hardware, validation plans, and flight-ready designs. This role demands hands-on work on the shop floor and rapid iteration.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Chemical Engineering or related field.
• 3+ years designing flight-hardware fluid systems (valves, regulators, tanks) and related components.
• Experience taking hardware from concept through build, integration and test.
• Proficiency with CAD and engineering drawings to ASME Y14.5 GD&T.

Responsibilities

• Own your fluid subsystem from concept through design, analysis, test, and flight.
• Drive fluid component and system designs for minimum mass while meeting pressure drop, proof, burst, leakage, cycle-life requirements across ground, ascent, and on-orbit environments.
• Design valves, fluid routing architectures, and fluid storage hardware for propellant, pneumatic, and thermal fluid service on rocket engines and vehicle fluid systems.
• Balance performance, manufacturability, cost, and schedule in every design decision.
• Perform analysis — hand calculations, FEA, tolerance stack-ups — and validate predictions with test and flight data
• Own fluid subsystem layout and integration, ensuring compatibility across propulsion, thermal, and pneumatic systems.
• Define and execute qualification and acceptance test campaigns (proof, burst, leak, flow, cycle life, vibration); author procedures, acceptance criteria, and anomaly dispositions.
• Develop and maintain engineering drawings, models, specifications, interface control documents, and release documentation.
• Work directly on the factory floor with manufacturing and technicians to iterate quickly and resolve build issues in real time.
• Troubleshoot hardware anomalies, perform root cause analysis, and implement design improvements.
• Support engine and vehicle integration, hot-fire and fill/drain operations, ground system interfaces, post-test inspection, and refurbishment planning.

Skills

Fluid systems design

CAD proficiency

Test and integration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Aerospace or Chemical Engineering

Tools

CAD tools (NX, SolidWorks, CATIA or Creo)

Job description

Cowboy Space Corp. is seeking a Fluids Engineer to own fluid subsystems from concept to flight. You will design propulsion-related fluid components and systems, optimize for weight, and ensure reliability across ground, ascent, and orbital environments.

You will collaborate with propulsion, structures, thermal, and avionics teams to translate requirements into hardware, validation plans, and flight-ready designs. This role demands hands-on work on the shop floor and rapid iteration.