Powerpack Engineer Level I

Cowboy Space Corporation; Kent (WA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.

Medical insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Paid time off

10 paid holidays per year

Paid parental leave

Relocation assistance

Daily lunch in the office

Job summary

Cowboy Space Corp. is seeking a Level I turbomachinery engineer to own turbopump components from concept through testing in a hands-on role.

You will design, analyze, and iterate turbo pump parts on the shop floor alongside machinists, perform FEA and hand calculations, and help coordinate testing and data review to drive robust hardware in Space-based propulsion systems. This role offers equity, relocation support, and a collaborative startup environment in San Carlos, CA, with opportunities to

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering.
• Fundamentals in fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, structural mechanics, and materials.
• Experience turning a mechanical design into hardware that is built, tested, and validated.
• CAD proficiency and ASME Y14.5 GD&T standards.

Responsibilities

• Bring creativity to every design challenge and own your work through to completion.
• Design turbopump components under supervision: CAD models, drawings, tolerances, GD&T, and material and process callouts.
• Run analyses on parts, including hand calculations and FEA, and compare with test data.
• Translate constraints from hydro, aero, structures, and thermals into feasible geometry.
• Work on the shop floor with machinists, support first article reviews, and disposition nonconformances.
• Support component and engine test; assist instrumentation requests and test-day support.
• Maintain configuration and pedigree records across build, test, and refurbishment.
• Troubleshoot hardware and participate in root cause investigations.

Job description

Mission

Cowboy Space Corporation is solving the global energy crisis by building the infrastructure for abundant, resilient space-based solar energy. We are tackling one of humanity’s most complex engineering challenges with a world-class team dedicated to delivering a revolutionary power platform. Cowboy Space Corporation is transforming how civilization powers, computes and connects - from orbit to Earth.

About Cowboy Space Corp

Cowboy Space Corporation is solving the global energy crisis by building the infrastructure for abundant, resilient space-based solar energy. We are tackling one of humanity’s most complex engineering challenges with a world-class team dedicated to delivering a revolutionary power platform. Cowboy Space Corporation is transforming how civilization powers, computes and connects - from orbit to Earth.

Background

Cowboy Space Corporation is building the infrastructure to power and connect the orbital economy. Our modular, scalable satellites collect sunlight in Low Earth Orbit to enable multiple integrated applications: transmitting energy via infrared lasers (space-to-earth and space-to-space), powering on-orbit high-performance computing clusters (GPU/TPU), and providing secure, high bandwidth optical data transport.

Current energy and data systems rely on complex logistics and outdated infrastructure. Cowboy Space Corporation overcomes these challenges by enabling direct, on-demand, secure, and scalable energy distribution and data processing from space. This will revolutionize how we operate in orbit and on Earth, supporting the rapidly expanding space industrial base, ISAM (In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing) operations, remote regions, and military bases.

Baiju Bhatt founded Cowboy Space Corporation in 2024. Inspired by his father’s work with NASA Langley Research Center, Baiju earned his B.S. in Physics and M.S. in Mathematics at Stanford before co-founding Robinhood, now a public company that has helped over 20 million Americans access the financial system. Cowboy Space Corporation has raised ~$365 million from Index Ventures, Interlagos, Construct Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, NEA, and others.

This is an ambitious mission that demands extraordinary talent. Cowboy Space Corporation’s team has worked at places like SpaceX, Blue Origin, Stoke Space, Astranis and NASA, and is based in San Carlos, CA. If you’re ready to solve complex technical challenges and help build the most important energy company in the world, we want to hear from you.

About The Role

The turbopump is the heart of the engine and sets its performance ceiling. As a Level I engineer on the turbomachinery team, you will own individual turbopump components that form part of a larger assembly. Depending on your background and where the team needs help, your first hardware might be an inducer or impeller, a volute or diffuser, turbine hardware, dynamic seals, or a pump housing. This is a hands‑on job. You will be the designer, next to the machinist while your part is cut, in the control room when it is tested, and in the review when the test data comes back. As your hardware record builds, so does your scope.

Responsibilities

• Bring creativity to every design challenge and own your work through to completion.
• Design turbopump components under the direction of a more experienced engineer: CAD models, drawings, tolerances, GD&T, and material and process callouts.
• Run the analysis on your own parts, hand calculations and FEA, then check your predictions against test data.
• Take constraints from hydro, aero, structures, secondary flow, and thermals and turn them into geometry that satisfies all of them.
• Work on the shop floor with machinists and technicians, support first article review, and help disposition nonconformances.
• Support component and engine test. Help write instrumentation requests, take test day support shifts, and reduce the data afterward.
• Keep configuration and pedigree records straight for your parts across build, test, and refurbishment.
• Troubleshoot hardware, take part in root cause investigations, and carry the resulting design changes.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
• Solid fundamentals in fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, structural mechanics, and materials.
• Experience seeing a mechanical design through to physical hardware, built, assembled, and tested. Internships, co‑ops, and competition or research team experience count.
• Proficiency with CAD (NX, SolidWorks, CATIA, or Creo) and experience creating engineering drawings to ASME Y14.5 GD&T standards.
• Working knowledge of FEA tools (ANSYS, Nastran, or Abaqus) applied to structural or thermal problems.
• Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with rotating machinery, propulsion, or other high-performance mechanical hardware. Internships, co‑ops count.
• Hands‑on prototyping and machining experience. Personal projects, shop work, and student build teams (FSAE, Baja, rocketry, robotics) all qualify.
• Master’s degree or Ph.D. in Aerospace, Mechanical, or related engineering field.
• Coursework or project experience in propulsion, turbomachinery, rotordynamics, or compressible and incompressible flow.
• Experience with tolerance stack‑ups on parts that were actually built.
• Exposure to cryogenic hardware or cryogenic fluid handling.
• Exposure to additive manufacturing.
• Experience at a fast‑moving, hardware‑focused startup or early‑stage program.
• Track record of picking up unfamiliar problems quickly and closing them out with minimal direction.

Compensation And Benefits

The salary range for this position is $110,000 – $135,000 annually. The actual base salary offered will depend on factors such as job-related skills, experience, qualifications, and internal equity.

• Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.
• Employees and their eligible dependents may enroll in medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) retirement savings plan
• Paid time off
• 10 paid holidays per calendar year
• Paid parental leave
• Relocation assistance if applicable
• Daily lunch in the office and a fully stocked kitchen with beverages and snacks

ITAR Requirements

• Export Control Requirement: To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here.

Disclaimer

This job description is a summary of the primary duties and responsibilities of the job and position. It is not intended to be a comprehensive or all-inclusive listing of duties and responsibilities. Contents are subject to change at Cowboy Space Corp.’s discretion.

Cowboy Space Corp. is an equal employment opportunity employer. We consider individuals for employment or promotion according to their skills, abilities and experience. Cowboy Space Corp. is committed to complying with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religious creed, age, national origin, ancestry, physical, mental or developmental disability, sex (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and medical conditions relating to pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding), veteran status, military status, marital or registered domestic partnership status, medical condition (including cancer or genetic characteristics), genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, as well as any other category protected by federal, state or local laws.