Lead Propulsion Engineer — Launch Vehicle Systems & Thermal

Cesiumastro; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 181,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Health benefits

Dental

Vision

HSA/FSA

Retirement plan

Life insurance

Disability

Job summary

CesiumAstro seeks a Staff Propulsion Engineer to lead design, analysis, and development of launch vehicle structures and propulsion-related components. You will oversee subsystem development from concept to flight, ensuring performance, safety, and reliability in a fast-paced startup setting.

The ideal candidate has a strong background in FEA and thermal simulations, hands-on hardware development, and experience mentoring teams across international R&D efforts.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering or related field.
• 8+ years in aerospace design and analysis.
• Expertise with ANSYS tools for structural and thermal analysis.
• Proficiency in MATLAB for analysis and optimization.
• Proficiency with CAD tools: SolidWorks, NX.
• Strong systems engineering, requirements flowdown, and integration.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, analysis, and development of launch vehicle structures and interfaces.
• Perform static/transient structural and thermal analyses under operational loads.
• Develop and execute test programs; analyze data to optimize designs.
• Prepare CAD models for FEA and manufacturing.
• Create technical documentation for PDRs/CDRs and reports.
• Collaborate with mechanical, aerospace and controls teams; mentor engineers.
• Participate in mission operations and anomaly investigations.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives.

Skills

Analytical skills

Problem-solving

Attention to detail

Systems engineering

Hardware development

Testing and qualification

Written and verbal communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Tools

ANSYS Mechanical

ANSYS Explicit Dynamics (LS-Dyna)

AN SYS Eigenvalue Buckling (Linear/Nonlinear)

AN SYS Harmonic Response

AN SYS Random Vibrations

MATLAB

SolidWorks

NX

Job description

CesiumAstro seeks a Staff Propulsion Engineer to lead design, analysis, and development of launch vehicle structures and propulsion-related components. You will oversee subsystem development from concept to flight, ensuring performance, safety, and reliability in a fast-paced startup setting.

The ideal candidate has a strong background in FEA and thermal simulations, hands-on hardware development, and experience mentoring teams across international R&D efforts.