Lead Turbopump Hydrodynamics Engineer

Cowboy Space; San Carlos (CA); On-site; CAD 237,000 - 349,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k)

Paid time off

10 holidays per year

Parental leave

Relocation assistance

Lunch in office

Job summary

Cowboy Space Corp. is seeking a high-ownership engineer to lead the hydrodynamic design of the rocket engine's turbopumps, guiding concept-to-build stages and validating performance on test stands.

You will oversee inducers, impellers, diffusers, and flowpaths, balancing head-rise, thrust, and rotordynamics while collaborating with manufacturing for rapid iteration and post-test improvements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, or related engineering field.
• 12+ years of turbomachinery hydrodynamic or aerodynamic design and analysis experience.
• Experience with pump sizing, specific speed and suction specific speed selection, blade and passage geometry definition, and material selection for pumped-fluid compatibility.
• Experience with secondary flow and axial thrust analysis—leakage and cavity flow networks, balance piston, thrust piston, and wear ring sizing, seal and bearing coolant circuits, and net thrust balance across the operating box.
• Hands-on experience taking rotating hardware from design through build and test.

Responsibilities

• Own pump primary and secondary flowpath hydrodynamic design from concept through qualification.
• Drive hydrodynamic design for maximum efficiency and suction performance while meeting head-rise, axial thrust, and rotordynamic requirements.
• Ensure hardware meets performance across the full operating box—start transients, deep throttle, off-nominal inlet NPSH, and repeated cycles.
• Lead hydrodynamic analysis (meanline/throughflow, single- and multiphase CFD) and validate against powerpack and engine test data.
• Define and execute pump test campaigns.
• Work directly with manufacturing to iterate quickly and resolve fabrication and assembly issues.
• Support hot-fire operations, anomaly investigation, and post-test hardware inspection and design iteration improvement cycles.
• Develop tools and best practices for the rest of the organization.

Skills

Hydrodynamic design

Rotating machinery

CFD tools

Meanline/throughflow

Leadership/mentoring

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace/Mechanical Eng

Tools

CFD

Meanline/Throughflow

Job description

Cowboy Space Corp. is seeking a high-ownership engineer to lead the hydrodynamic design of the rocket engine's turbopumps, guiding concept-to-build stages and validating performance on test stands.

You will oversee inducers, impellers, diffusers, and flowpaths, balancing head-rise, thrust, and rotordynamics while collaborating with manufacturing for rapid iteration and post-test improvements.