Propulsion Thruster Systems Lead Engineer — Houston

Cimarron Inc.; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) contributions

Educational reimbursement

Job summary

Cimarron Inc. in Houston, TX, invites an experienced Propulsion Staff Engineer – Thruster Systems to own end-to-end technical execution of bipropellant thrusters.

You will lead cross-functional teams, interact with suppliers, and drive design, build, integration, test, and flight readiness with a focus on safety and cost targets. The role requires deep hands-on propulsion hardware experience, strong technical leadership, and a bias for execution in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in spacecraft or launch propulsion with thruster design depth.
• Hands-on engine/thruster design, development, qualification, and integration.
• Experience with injectors, combustion chambers, nozzles, igniters, and thermal interfaces.
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams and vendor interfaces.
• Willingness to work evenings/weekends to meet critical milestones.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end technical execution of bipropellant thruster assemblies from requirements to flight readiness.
• Provide technical authority on system architecture, sizing, and performance optimization.
• Model and analyze thruster performance using ANSYS, Fluent, and related tools.
• Lead test campaigns, plan instrumentation, and correlate data to validate models.
• Coordinate with external vendors and manage cost, schedule, and design verification.
• Mentor junior engineers and ensure safety and configuration discipline.

Skills

Propulsion systems

Thruster design

Technical leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

CFD analysis

ANSYS/Fluent analyses

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering

Master’s degree (preferred)

Tools

SolidWorks

Job description

Cimarron Inc. in Houston, TX, invites an experienced Propulsion Staff Engineer – Thruster Systems to own end-to-end technical execution of bipropellant thrusters.

You will lead cross-functional teams, interact with suppliers, and drive design, build, integration, test, and flight readiness with a focus on safety and cost targets. The role requires deep hands-on propulsion hardware experience, strong technical leadership, and a bias for execution in a fast-paced environment.