Principal Turbomachinery Engineer

Blisk Dynamics; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Premium healthcare coverage

Life insurance

Open PTO policy

Parental leave

Mental health resources

401(k) plan with company match

Job summary

Blisk Dynamics in Long Beach, CA seeks a Principal Turbomachinery Engineer to serve as the senior technical authority for propulsion systems. You will set technical direction, own system‑level architecture, and build the team and processes needed to move to production.

Hands‑on depth matters as much as strategy. You will guide CFD/FEA reviews, drive multidisciplinary optimization, and ensure designs are producible at volume.

Qualifications

• B.S. or higher in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent depth of experience.
• 12+ years of turbomachinery design experience for propulsion or high-performance rotating machinery.
• Ownership of a turbomachinery system from concept through validated, production‑intent hardware.
• Expert depth across aerodynamics, structures, heat transfer, rotordynamics, and performance.
• Track record of leading cross-functional engineering efforts and architectural decisions that held up in manufacturing and test.
• Experience building and developing engineering teams.
• U.S. Person status required (ITAR-controlled work).

Responsibilities

• Set technical direction for the turbomachinery program: architecture, performance targets, and development approach.
• Lead system-level trades across the full engine cycle and drive multidisciplinary optimization.
• Define analysis standards and review CFD, FEA, rotordynamics, and performance work.
• Ensure designs are producible at volume from the start, working closely with manufacturing on castings, forgings, additive, and machined components.
• Define and oversee test campaigns; lead root cause investigations and drive corrective actions.
• Establish the turbomachinery design playbook: standards, processes, and documentation.
• Develop other engineers, make hard architectural calls, and represent turbomachinery in cross-functional and external forums.

Skills

Turbomachinery design

Propulsion systems

CFD/FEA analysis

Rotordynamics

Cross-functional leadership

Engineering team leadership

Education

BS in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Job description

About Us

We are a small, fast-moving team building next-generation gas turbine engines to power the future of aerospace, defense, and energy. Backed by leading investors and led by proven founders, we’re assembling a high-performance team to reinvent propulsion and power from the ground up. This is a rare chance to create genuinely new technology and to watch it go from a sketch on your screen to hardware coming off the line and into service. We design it, analyze it, build it, and test it, often in the same week.

About the Role

We’re seeking a Principal Turbomachinery Engineer to serve as the senior technical authority for our propulsion systems. You’ll set the technical direction for turbomachinery development, own system-level architecture, and build the team and processes that get us to production. Hands-on depth matters as much as strategic thinking.

Responsibilities

• Set technical direction for the turbomachinery program: architecture, performance targets, and development approach.


• Lead system-level trades across the full engine cycle and drive multidisciplinary optimization.


• Define analysis standards and review key CFD, FEA, rotordynamics, and performance work.


• Ensure designs are producible at volume from the start, working closely with manufacturing on castings, forgings, additive, and machined components.


• Define and oversee test campaigns; lead root cause investigations and drive corrective actions.


• Establish the turbomachinery design playbook: standards, processes, and documentation.


• Develop other engineers, make hard architectural calls, and represent turbomachinery in cross-functional and external forums.

Qualifications

• B.S. or higher in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent depth of experience.


• 12+ years of experience in turbomachinery design for propulsion or high-performance rotating machinery, including production programs.


• Demonstrated ownership of a turbomachinery system from clean-sheet concept through validated, production-intent hardware.


• Expert-level depth across multiple domains: aerodynamics, structures, heat transfer, rotordynamics, and performance.


• Track record of leading cross-functional engineering efforts and making architectural decisions that held up in manufacturing and test.


• Experience building and developing engineering teams.


• High agency, low ego, and relentless focus on execution.


• U.S. Person status required (ITAR-controlled work).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience at production scale, not just prototype.


• Startup or high-autonomy environment where you defined the process as much as followed one.


• Ph.D. or equivalent depth in a core turbomachinery domain.


• Experience engaging with customers, government program managers, or investors as a technical authority.

Compensation & Benefits

Compensation for this role is based on a range of factors including experience, education, critical skills, and business considerations. Actual offers may vary. Where a salary range is displayed, it reflects an estimate only. Highly competitive equity grants are included in most full-time offers.

We offer comprehensive benefits for full-time employees, including:

• Premium Healthcare Coverage: 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for you and your eligible dependents


• Complete Protection: Full company-paid life insurance, short-term disability, and long-term disability coverage


• Flexible Time Off: Open PTO policy plus 13 paid company holidays


• Family Support: 8 weeks of paid parental leave and comprehensive leave options


• Wellness Resources: Access to mental health services, Employee Assistance Program, and financial coaching


• Pre-Tax Benefits: Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), Health Savings Accounts (HSA), and commuter benefits


• Professional Growth: Development opportunities including mentorship and skill development


• Retirement Planning: 401(k) plan with company matching

You’ll thrive here if you:

• Own problems the moment you see them and drive them to resolution regardless of whose area they touch


• Lead by example at every level, and check your ego at the door. The best idea wins, full stop


• Can prioritize ruthlessly when the list is longer than the day


• Believe that discipline and rigor are what create the freedom to move fast — not obstacles to it

Joining a company this early is not for everyone. And the people who do their best work here tend to know exactly why they want it.

What makes it exceptional: you won’t be maintaining someone else’s legacy. You’ll help define the architecture from first principles, follow your work all the way to fielded hardware. You will operate with almost no layers between an idea and a decision. Real breadth, real ownership, real stakes.

What’s genuinely hard: ambiguity is the default, the intensity is real, and it carries startup risk. You’ll often build the process before you can build the thing. Priorities shift as we learn. If that tradeoff sounds like exactly what you’ve been looking for, we want to hear from you.

Equal Opportunity Employment

We are an equal opportunity employer committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. We foster a culture of ownership, initiative, inclusion, and mutual respect. All qualified applicants will be treated with respect and receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, uniform service, veteran status, age, or any other protected characteristic per federal, state, and local law, including those with a criminal history, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws. We actively encourage members of recognized minorities, women, veterans, and those with disabilities to apply. If you’re passionate about revolutionizing aerospace propulsion, we’d love to hear from you.

Security & Export Control

This position may require access to information protected under U.S. export control laws and regulations, including the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Please note that any offer for employment may be conditioned on authorization to receive software or technology controlled under these U.S. export control laws and regulations without sponsorship for an export license.

We will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S.