Head of Primary Structures for Reusable Spacecraft

Telemetry Today LLC; Kent (WA); On-site; USD 195,000 - 235,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Medical insurance

401(k) plan

Paid time off

Relocation assistance

Lunch provided

Job summary

Cowboy Space Corporation is seeking a senior structural engineer to own the design, build, and performance of the vehicle’s primary structures, including airframe components and propulsion interfaces. You will drive low‑mass structural designs, ensure survivability through flight and reuse, and lead analysis with test validation.

The role requires a BS in Aerospace or Mechanical engineering and 8+ years in flight hardware structural design, with hands-on build/test experience and leadership of a

Qualifications

• :Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, or related engineering field.
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• 8+ years of experience in structural design, analysis, or mechanisms for flight hardware or high‑performance systems.
• :
• Experience with load paths, structural sizing, and material selection.
• :
• Hands‑on experience taking hardware from design through build and test.
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• Experience leading engineers or a team.

Responsibilities

• Own the design, build, and performance of the vehicle’s primary structures (airframe, tanks, thrust structure, interstages, raceways, strakes, thermal protection).
• Drive structural design for minimum mass while meeting strength, stiffness, fatigue, and thermal requirements.
• Ensure hardware survives ascent, entry, landing, and reuse environments.
• Lead structural analysis (FEA, hand calcs) and validate with test/flight data.
• Define and execute structural test campaigns (component, subscale, full-scale).
• Work with manufacturing to iterate quickly and resolve build issues on the floor.
• Identify and close failure modes through rapid design-test-learn cycles.
• Support flight operations, anomaly investigation, and post-flight inspection/refurbishment improvements.

Skills

Load paths

Structural sizing

Material selection

Hands-on build/test

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace/Mechanical engineering

Tools

FEA tools

Job description

Cowboy Space Corporation is seeking a senior structural engineer to own the design, build, and performance of the vehicle’s primary structures, including airframe components and propulsion interfaces. You will drive low‑mass structural designs, ensure survivability through flight and reuse, and lead analysis with test validation.

The role requires a BS in Aerospace or Mechanical engineering and 8+ years in flight hardware structural design, with hands-on build/test experience and leadership of a