Propulsion Fluids Engineer: Valves, Feedlines & Tanks

Cowboy Space Corp.; United States; On-site; USD 130,000 - 195,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.

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–sn

Job summary

Cowboy Space Corp. is building the infrastructure to power and connect the orbital economy.

We seek a Fluids Engineer to own a fluid subsystem from concept through flight, working with propulsion, structures, thermal, avionics, manufacturing, and test ops to design, build, and validate fluid hardware for rocket engines and vehicle systems. The role emphasizes hands‑on hardware development, rapid iteration, and cross‑functional collaboration to achieve mission success in both ground and on‑orbit

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, 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 and 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 mechanics

Thermodynamics

Heat transfer

Structural mechanics

Manufacturing processes

CAD proficiency

Engineering drawings (ASME Y14.5)

Hands-on prototyping

Root cause analysis

Test data correlation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical/ Aerospace/ Chemical Engineering or related field

Tools

NX

SolidWorks

CATIA

Creo

Job description

Cowboy Space Corp. is building the infrastructure to power and connect the orbital economy.

We seek a Fluids Engineer to own a fluid subsystem from concept through flight, working with propulsion, structures, thermal, avionics, manufacturing, and test ops to design, build, and validate fluid hardware for rocket engines and vehicle systems. The role emphasizes hands‑on hardware development, rapid iteration, and cross‑functional collaboration to achieve mission success in both ground and on‑orbit