Lead Fluids Engineer, Space Propulsion & Thermal

Cowboy Space; San Carlos (CA); On-site; CAD 223,000 - 258,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) retirement savings plan

Paid time off

10 paid holidays per calendar year

Paid parental leave

Relocation assistance

Daily lunches in office

Job summary

Cowboy Space Corp. is seeking an experienced mechanical/space engineer to own design and development of fluid system hardware for propulsion, fluids, and thermal management.

You will work across the full lifecycle from concept to flight, delivering hardware meeting performance, mass, and reliability requirements in demanding launch environments. The role requires 3+ years in fluid hardware design, strong CAD skills, and experience with propulsion-related systems.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Chemical, or related engineering field.
• 3+ years of experience designing fluid system hardware (valves, regulators, tanks, tubing) for flight or high-performance applications.
• Experience with fluid system analysis: pressure drop, flow sizing, structural analysis of pressure vessels, or thermal-fluid modeling.
• Hands-on experience taking hardware from design through build and test.
• Proficiency with CAD tools (NX, CATIA, or SolidWorks) for detailed part and assembly design.

Responsibilities

• Design valves (flow control, isolation, regulation, check, and relief) for propellant, pressurant, and thermal fluid systems.
• Develop fluid storage hardware including propellant tanks, pressure vessels, and accumulators from concept through qualification.
• Design fluid routing architecture: tubing runs, manifolds, fittings, flex lines, and quick-disconnects for vehicle integration.
• Own fluid subsystem layout and integration, ensuring compatibility across propulsion, thermal, and pneumatic systems.
• Perform hydraulic and pneumatic analysis (pressure drop, flow distribution, water hammer, thermal transients) to size components and verify system performance.
• Perform structural analysis (FEA, hand calcs) and validate with test and flight data.
• Select materials compatible with propellants, pressures, and operating environments (cryogenic, high-pressure, corrosive).
• Generate detailed component and assembly drawings, specifications, and interface control documents.
• Support and execute component-level and system-level test campaigns (proof, burst, flow, leak, cycle life).
• Work directly with manufacturing and technicians to resolve build issues, improve producibility, and support rapid iteration.
• Support vehicle integration, fill/drain operations, and ground system interfaces.
• Contribute to anomaly investigation, post-flight inspection, and design improvements for reuse and reliability.

Skills

Fluid system design

CAD modeling

FEA analysis

Hands-on build/test

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Chemical or related engineering

Tools

NX

CATIA

SolidWorks

Job description

Cowboy Space Corp. is seeking an experienced mechanical/space engineer to own design and development of fluid system hardware for propulsion, fluids, and thermal management.

You will work across the full lifecycle from concept to flight, delivering hardware meeting performance, mass, and reliability requirements in demanding launch environments. The role requires 3+ years in fluid hardware design, strong CAD skills, and experience with propulsion-related systems.