Senior Combustion Devices Engineer - Propulsion Leader

Rocket Lab USA; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 162,000 - 270,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee Stock Purchase Program

Competitive medical plans (HMO, PPO, 0

Dental and vision coverage

Paid vacation and sick time

11 paid holidays

Flexible spending accounts

Dependent care accounts

Paid parental leave

Disability and life insurance

401(k) with company match

Subsidized EV charging

Onsite fitness centers

Discounted gym memberships

Snacks and beverages

50% merch store discount

Other employee discounts

Job summary

Rocket Lab USA in Long Beach, CA, seeks a Principal Combustion Devices Engineer to own design, analysis, and testing of combustion devices for the Archimedes engine. You will drive qualification plans, collaborate with turbomachinery and engine systems teams, and ensure manufacturability and rapid iteration in a fast-paced space environment.

Ideal candidates hold a Bachelors in engineering with 12+ years of combustion experience and exposure to NX/ANSYS MATLAB tools; Master’s or PhD is a plus.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline or equivalent.
• 12+ years of combustion device design experience.
• In-depth knowledge of combustion, fluid dynamics, heat transfer, and structural mechanics.
• Fundamental understanding of design principles and manufacturing methods.

Responsibilities

• Design, analyze, and perform trades studies to achieve programmatic targets.
• Define requirements, test and flight qualification plans.
• Work with interface owners (turbomachinery/engine systems) for fast, high-end iterations.
• Collaborate with manufacturing/build engineers to design manufacturable, cost-effective parts.
• Partner with test/launch teams to interpret data and enable high cadence tests and flights.

Skills

Combustion device design

Fluid dynamics

Heat transfer

Structural mechanics

Design analysis

Manufacturing methods

Trade studies

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Master's or PhD (nice to have)

Tools

NX

ANSYS Mechanical

StarCCM

MATLAB

GD&T

TDK

ROCCID

PERCORP

CEA

ROCETS

Job description

Rocket Lab USA in Long Beach, CA, seeks a Principal Combustion Devices Engineer to own design, analysis, and testing of combustion devices for the Archimedes engine. You will drive qualification plans, collaborate with turbomachinery and engine systems teams, and ensure manufacturability and rapid iteration in a fast-paced space environment.

Ideal candidates hold a Bachelors in engineering with 12+ years of combustion experience and exposure to NX/ANSYS MATLAB tools; Master’s or PhD is a plus.