Lead Propulsion Test Engineer — Scale, Safety, Impact

Outsiders Fund; Los Angeles (CA); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in Apex

Company-paid healthcare

Comprehensive PTO (15+ days)

401(k) with matching

8 weeks parental leave + travel nanny

Daily catered lunch & snacks

Vibrant Playa Vista office

Impactful aerospace collaboration

Job summary

Apex Technology, Inc. is seeking a Lead Propulsion Test Engineer to build and lead a team responsible for testing propulsion hardware used on every Apex spacecraft.

You will own the test infrastructure from development to production-scale vacuum testing, driving safety, data quality, and throughput. You will design and operate test stands for thrusters, PPUs, and propulsion systems, and collaborate with engineering, production, and quality teams to deliver reliable, scalable test capabilities as

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical engineering, or related field.
• 10+ years of test engineering experience with propulsion, vacuum, or high-energy hardware.
• Experience designing, building, and commissioning test stands or facilities, including instrumentation, data acquisition, controls, and GSE.
• Hands-on experience with vacuum test facilities, pumps, chambers, and vacuum instrumentation.
• Demonstrated experience leading and developing engineers and technicians.
• Strong cross-functional communication across design engineering, software, production, quality, facilities, and leadership.
• Must be a U.S. Person (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual) per ITAR.

Responsibilities

• Build, lead, and develop a team of propulsion test engineers and technicians, prioritizing safety, technical rigor, execution, and ownership.
• Own the design, build, and operation of test stands for thrusters, flow controllers, PPUs, and integrated propulsion systems, including instrumentation and controls.
• Own propulsion vacuum test infrastructure, including chambers, pumping systems, and capacity planning.
• Develop scalable acceptance test infrastructure and processes to support high-rate propulsion production.
• Own test capacity, scheduling, throughput, data quality, and turnaround across development, qualification, and production tests.
• Establish and enforce test safety standards for vacuum, high-pressure, high-voltage, and other hazards.

Skills

Leadership

Safety culture

Cross-functional collaboration

Project management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in aerospace/mechanical/electrical engineering

Master’s or PhD in related field

Tools

Test stands design & build

Instrumentation & data acquisition

GSE & vacuum systems

Vacuum chambers & pumps

Job description

Apex Technology, Inc. is seeking a Lead Propulsion Test Engineer to build and lead a team responsible for testing propulsion hardware used on every Apex spacecraft.

You will own the test infrastructure from development to production-scale vacuum testing, driving safety, data quality, and throughput. You will design and operate test stands for thrusters, PPUs, and propulsion systems, and collaborate with engineering, production, and quality teams to deliver reliable, scalable test capabilities as