Mid Career Spaceflight Hardware Propulsion Engineer with Security Clearance

Astrion; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Astrion seeks a Mid Career Spaceflight Hardware Propulsion Engineer to join the team at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. The candidate will apply fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and heat transfer to propulsion and spacecraft pressure systems, and will lead analyses and model development.

The role requires strong communication, independence, and the ability to work across multidisciplinary teams, with travel to supplier, test, and launch locations as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering; 5–10 years of related experience.
• Experience in fluid mechanics and thermodynamics.
• Knowledge of heat transfer, materials, mechanical systems, structures, or machine design.
• Experience analyzing propulsion, pressure, fluid, or thermal systems.
• Experience with hardware development, testing, integration, or operation.
• Ability to review technical drawings, test plans, verification evidence.
• Strong written and verbal communication; able to coordinate multiple activities.
• Willingness to travel and adapt to branch assignments.

Responsibilities

• Apply propulsion and spacecraft pressure-system principles to design and analyze systems.
• Independently perform or lead propulsion and pressure-system analyses.
• Develop and validate fluid-flow, pressure-system, thermodynamic, and thermal models.
• Develop engineering analysis tools using Python, MATLAB, or similar tools.
• Evaluate system architectures and lead technical trade studies.
• Prepare and communicate results, assumptions, and limitations.

Skills

Fluid mechanics

Thermodynamics

Written communication

Verbal communication

Independence

Travel readiness

Multidisciplinary teamwork

Risk communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

Python

MATLAB

Creo

Thermal Desktop

Job description

Overview Mid Career Spaceflight Hardware Propulsion Engineer LOCATION : NASA Johnson Space Center JOB STATUS : Full Time, Onsite CLEARANCE: Background check & U.S. Citizenship required Please carefully review the position requirements before submitting a potential candidate for consideration. Are you passionate about human space exploration, understanding the origins of the universe, and working with a passionate and diverse team to make a difference? If you are, we need you! We need your talent, teamwork, and energy to help us achieve great things that inspire people all over the globe. We need you to bring creative ideas and diverse backgrounds to help us envision, shape, and deliver systems that will enable the exploration of space while benefiting people here on Earth. We are excited about what we do, and we need you on our team as we take on exciting challenges for NASA's pursuits in deep space exploration. As NASA's largest engineering solutions provider working together with NASA at centers across the United States. We have an exciting opportunity for a Mid Career Spaceflight Hardware Propulsion Engineer to join the team! ** We are actively searching for qualified candidates for this potential opening; however, we do not have assurance at this time when the position will be finalized and opened. Because we have strong reason to believe the position will be approved soon, we are proceeding with identifying qualified candidates and conducting interviews. ** REQUIRED EXPERIENCE/SKILLS * Typically requires a minimum of a bachelor's degree in Engineering and normally possess 5- 10 years of related experience. License and certification may be required.

• Requires a minimum of a bachelor's degree in Engineering and normally possess 5-10 years of related experience.
• Demonstrated knowledge of fluid mechanics and thermodynamics.
• Working knowledge of heat transfer, engineering materials, mechanical systems, structures, or machine design.
• Experience analyzing propulsion, pressure, fluid, or thermal systems.
• Experience supporting hardware development, testing, integration, certification, or operation.
• Experience processing, analyzing, and interpreting engineering or test data.
• Ability to evaluate requirements, technical drawings, analyses, test plans, test results, and verification evidence.
• Ability to investigate technical issues and develop defensible engineering recommendations.
• Ability to assess component-level issues in a broader system and vehicle context.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to organize and coordinate multiple technical activities and priorities.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with multidisciplinary teams.
• Ability to communicate risks, uncertainties, and dissenting technical positions appropriately.
• Willingness and ability to transition among branch assignments as organizational needs change.
• Ability to work effectively in laboratory, supplier, integration, mission-operations, and office environments.
• Ability and willingness to travel when required by the assignment. This position has been posted at multiple levels. Depending on the candidate's experience, requirements, and business needs, we reserve the right to consider candidates at any level for which this position has been advertised.
• RESPONSIBILITES * Apply fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, heat transfer, materials, structures, and machine-design principles to propulsion and spacecraft pressure systems.
• Independently perform or lead propulsion and pressure-system analyses.
• Develop, review, and validate fluid-flow, pressure-system, thermodynamic, and thermal models.
• Develop and maintain engineering analysis and data-processing tools using Python, MATLAB, or similar software.
• Evaluate system architectures and lead or contribute to technical trade studies.
• Establish technical assumptions, document analysis methods, and communicate results and limitations.
• Assess component-to-system and system-to-vehicle technical effects.
• Provide technical oversight of propulsion components, suppliers, and hardware-development activities.
• Review designs, drawings, material selections, fabrication methods, assembly processes, and acceptance criteria.
• Support or lead propulsion hardware development from concept through fabrication, assembly, test, integration, and operation.
• Plan, coordinate, witness, or evaluate component- and system-level tests.
• Review acceptance-test data, qualification reports, verification evidence, and flight-readiness documentation.
• Evaluate test results and determine whether the available evidence satisfies technical and program requirements.
• Lead or support investigations of anomalies, nonconformances, and unexpected system behavior.
• Develop technically defensible recommendations for issue disposition and risk mitigation.
• Review and coordinate closure of variances, nonconformance reports, hazard reports, changes, waivers, reuse documentation, and certification action items.
• Develop verification approaches and support formal certification of propulsion systems and flight hardware.
• Assess pressure-system safety, cleanliness, contamination-control, and hardware-integration requirements.
• Support propulsion-system integration with spacecraft, test vehicles, or small satellites.
• Coordinate technical activities with NASA program and project offices, spacecraft organizations, suppliers, prime contractors, sub-tier contractors, and international partners.
• Organize and track concurrent document reviews, technical issues, risks, and action items.
• Delegate or coordinate reviews with appropriate hardware and technical points of contact.
• Prepare and present technical status, risks, nonconformances, and recommendations to program stakeholders.
• Participate in mission simulations, vehicle checkouts, propulsion console operations, and flight support.
• Provide technical guidance and mentoring to less-experienced engineers.
• Travel to supplier, test, integration, launch, or program locations when required.
• Perform other duties as required.
• PREFERRED EXPERIENCE/ SKILLS * Experience with spacecraft propulsion or aerospace pressure systems.
• Experience with human-rated spacecraft or other safety-critical flight systems.
• Experience with valves, regulators, tanks, filters, sensors, pressure vessels, tubing, and related mechanical hardware.
• Experience with component or system-level test planning, execution, and data evaluation.
• Experience with acceptance, qualification, thermal-vacuum, vibration, or other environmental testing.
• Experience with flight-hardware integration and certification.
• Experience investigating anomalies, nonconformances, or unexpected test results.
• Experience preparing or evaluating hazard reports, variances, waivers, risks, changes, or certification packages.
• Experience overseeing suppliers, prime contractors, or sub-tier contractors.
• Experience with requirements development and verification.
• Knowledge of pressure-system safety, hardware cleanliness, and contamination-control requirements.
• Proficiency with Python, MATLAB, or comparable analysis tools.
• Experience with Thermal Desktop or comparable thermal-analysis software.
• Experience with CAD software, including Creo or a comparable platform.
• Experience with propulsion console operations, mission simulations, vehicle checkouts, or flight support.
• Experience working with configuration-management, work-order, issue-tracking, or document-control systems.
• Experience developing small-spacecraft propulsion systems or rapid-turnaround flight hardware.
• Experience leading technical tasks or mentoring early-career engineers. #CJ