Propulsion Systems Engineer II: Spacecraft Propulsion

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory; California; On-site; USD 119,000 - 143,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental plan

Vision plan

Retirement plans

Paid time off

Flexible schedule

Parental leave

Job summary

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California is seeking a Level II Propulsion Systems Engineer to provide design, analysis and test support for chemical propulsion systems across all project phases. You will participate in hand calculations, CFD/analytical tooling, and ground testing, collaborating with a multidisciplinary team.

The role requires a strong background in fluid mechanics, thermodynamics and propulsion principles, plus experience with CAD/PDM software and MATLAB.

Qualifications

• 3+ years with a Bachelor's or 1+ year with a Master's in aerospace/mechanical engineering.
• Strong fundamentals in fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, heat and mass transfer and propulsion.
• Ability to read fluid schematics (P&IDs) and mechanical drawings.
• Experience with propulsion subsystem ground testing.
• Capable of hand calculations and Excel analyses.
• Proficient with CAD/PDM tools (Siemens NX, Teamcenter) and MATLAB.

Responsibilities

• Provide systems engineering, design, analysis and test for chemical propulsion architectures.
• Lead propulsion system assembly, integration and test activities.
• Support hardware deliveries and vendor interface for test & documentation.
• Investigate anomalies and perform root-cause analyses.
• Support spacecraft propulsion operations and system-level simulations.
• Compute flow, sizing, blowdown, and waterhammer analyses.
• Update analysis tools and provide model documentation.
• Develop ground tests to validate models and analyze results.
• Collaborate with propulsion team and provide peer analytical reviews.
• Present methodology, assumptions and results to team and management.

Skills

Fluid mechanics

Thermodynamics

Heat and mass transfer

Rocket propulsion

P&IDs

Mechanical drawings

Ground testing

Excel calculations

MATLAB

Team collaboration

Technical writing

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace/Mechanical Engineering

Master's degree (preferred)

Tools

Siemens NX

Teamcenter

Star-CCM+

ANSYS

SINDA/FLUINT

GFSSP

Excel

Job description

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California is seeking a Level II Propulsion Systems Engineer to provide design, analysis and test support for chemical propulsion systems across all project phases. You will participate in hand calculations, CFD/analytical tooling, and ground testing, collaborating with a multidisciplinary team.

The role requires a strong background in fluid mechanics, thermodynamics and propulsion principles, plus experience with CAD/PDM software and MATLAB.