Propulsion Fluids Engineer: Valves, Feedlines & Tanks

Cowboy Space; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 195,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Health insurance

401(k)

Paid time off

Parental leave

Relocation assistance

Office lunch

Job summary

Cowboy Space Corp. is seeking a Fluids Engineer to own a critical fluid subsystem from concept to flight, working across propulsion, thermal, and pneumatic systems. This hands‑on role sits at the heart of hardware development for a fast‑moving startup.

The position emphasizes designing for minimum mass, conducting analyses, and leading qualification campaigns, with collaboration across manufacturing and test operations to ensure mission success.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or related field.
• 3+ years of experience designing fluid system hardware for flight vehicles or high‑performance hardware.
• Experience taking hardware from concept through build, integration, and test.
• Strong fundamentals in fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, heat transfer, structural mechanics, materials, and manufacturing processes.
• Experience with fluid system analysis: pressure drop and flow sizing, structural analysis of pressure vessels, or thermal‑fluid modeling.
• Proficiency with CAD (NX, SolidWorks, CATIA, or Creo) and creating engineering drawings to ASME Y14.5 GD&T standards.

Responsibilities

• Own your fluid subsystem from concept through design, analysis, test, and flight.
• Drive fluid component and system designs for minimum mass while meeting pressure drop, proof, burst, leakage, cycle‑life, and operating‑life requirements across ground, ascent, and on‑orbit environments.
• Design valves, fluid routing architectures, and fluid storage hardware for propellant, pneumatic, and thermal fluid service on rocket engines and vehicle fluid systems.
• Balance performance, manufacturability, cost, and schedule in every design decision.
• Perform analysis — hand calculations, FEA, tolerance stack‑ups — and validate predictions with test and flight data.
• Own fluid subsystem layout and integration, ensuring compatibility across propulsion, thermal, and pneumatic systems.
• Define and execute qualification and acceptance test campaigns (proof, burst, leak, flow, cycle life, vibration); author procedures, acceptance criteria, and anomaly dispositions.
• Develop and maintain engineering drawings, models, specifications, interface control documents, and release documentation.
• Work directly on the factory floor with manufacturing and technicians to iterate quickly and resolve build issues in real time.
• Troubleshoot hardware anomalies, perform root cause analysis, and implement design improvements.
• Support engine and vehicle integration, hot‑fire and fill/drain operations, ground system interfaces, post‑test inspection, and refurbishment planning.

Skills

Fluid systems design

CAD proficiency

Analysis (hand calculations, FEA)

Test & integration

Prototyping/manufacturing interaction

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, or Chemical Engineering

Tools

NX

SolidWorks

CATIA

Creo

Job description

Cowboy Space Corp. is seeking a Fluids Engineer to own a critical fluid subsystem from concept to flight, working across propulsion, thermal, and pneumatic systems. This hands‑on role sits at the heart of hardware development for a fast‑moving startup.

The position emphasizes designing for minimum mass, conducting analyses, and leading qualification campaigns, with collaboration across manufacturing and test operations to ensure mission success.