Senior Electric Propulsion Engineer - Cathode Leader

Apex; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 165,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in Apex

Healthcare

PTO & holidays

401(k) matching

Parental leave

Lunch & snacks

Office Playa Vista

Team events

Job summary

Apex seeks a Senior Electric Propulsion Engineer to lead hollow and heaterless cathode design, development, and life testing for our electric propulsion systems.

This senior individual-contributor role drives design-for-manufacturing, test campaigns, and integration with propulsion teams to scale production from development to flight, while mentoring engineers and shaping future capabilities.

Qualifications

• Requires experience with hollow and heaterless cathodes and with cathode testing
• Experience planning cathode/EP test campaigns in vacuum facilities
• Strong understanding of cathode life-degradation mechanisms and mitigation strategies
• Knowledge of spacecraft propulsion system interfaces and PPU interaction

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end design and development of hollow and heaterless cathodes
• Develop models to predict cathode performance and life and validate with test data
• Define and execute cathode life-qualification campaigns and testing
• Drive cathode-thruster integration for overall EP system performance
• Support flight hardware build, integration and testing, along with launch campaigns
• Mentor propulsion engineers and contribute to ongoing capability development

Skills

Cathode design

Test campaigns

Life characterization

Thermal-mechanical design

Cathode erosion models

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in aerospace/related

Master's degree in propulsion (preferred)

PhD in electric propulsion (optional)

Tools

LaB6 materials

BaO-impregnated tungsten

Refractory metals

Job description

Apex seeks a Senior Electric Propulsion Engineer to lead hollow and heaterless cathode design, development, and life testing for our electric propulsion systems.

This senior individual-contributor role drives design-for-manufacturing, test campaigns, and integration with propulsion teams to scale production from development to flight, while mentoring engineers and shaping future capabilities.