Senior Manufacturing Engineer - Propulsion

Socket.dev; Kent (WA); On-site; USD 134,000 - 188,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Paid time off

10 paid holidays

Paid parental leave

Relocation assistance

Daily lunch and stocked kitchen

Job summary

Cowboy Space Corp. is looking for a Senior Manufacturing Engineer to establish how the rocket engine is made as we build a factory from the ground up. You will decide on hardware manufacturing methods, tooling, and process development, rather than inheriting existing systems.

You will own DFMs, define build sequences, and lead equipment decisions, ensuring hardware reaches the build cell with quality and repeatable production.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Materials Science, or equivalent.
• Comprehensive understanding of mechanical design and manufacturing principles, including GD&T per ASME Y14.5, tolerance stack analysis, and CMM/inspection.
• Hands-on ownership of build and assembly on the manufacturing floor.
• Proficiency in CAD and related tools.
• Excellent written and verbal communication for technical discussions.
• Experience evaluating nonconforming hardware and developing rework plans.

Responsibilities

• Define CONOPS and DFMs for hardware, including production methods, equipment, and build sequence.
• Foster creativity, own fixes, and ensure completion of improvements.
• Support facility layout, specify and purchase capital equipment; install and qualify it.
• Design tooling and fixtures for machining, welding, assembly, handling, and transport.
• Lead process qualification with Materials & Processes and Quality; manage supplier interactions.
• Oversee qualification of new in‑house processes.
• Author build documentation: routings, work instructions, process specs, BOMs.
• Own delivery, cycle time, yield, and rate readiness; scale from first article to production.
• Track configuration and pedigree; manage nonconformances and coordinate repairs.
• Mentor teammates within and outside the group.

Skills

Mechanical design

GD&T

CMM inspection

Faro Arm

Blue Light Scan

CAD

Inspection techniques

Communication

Disposition of nonconforming hardware

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Materials Science, or equivalent

Tools

Siemens CAM

PLM software

MES software

CMM software

Job description

About Cowboy Space Corp:

Mission

Cowboy Space Corporation is solving the global energy crisis by building the infrastructure for abundant, resilient space-based solar energy. We are tackling one of humanity's most complex engineering challenges with a world-class team dedicated to delivering a revolutionary power platform. Cowboy Space Corporation is transforming how civilization powers, computes and connects - from orbit to Earth.

Background

Cowboy Space Corporation is building the infrastructure to power and connect the orbital economy. Our modular, scalable satellites collect sunlight in Low Earth Orbit to enable multiple integrated applications: transmitting energy via infrared lasers (space-to-earth and space-to-space), powering on-orbit high-performance computing clusters (GPU/TPU), and providing secure, high bandwidth optical data transport.

Current energy and data systems rely on complex logistics and outdated infrastructure. Cowboy Space Corporation overcomes these challenges by enabling direct, on-demand, secure, and scalable energy distribution and data processing from space. This will revolutionize how we operate in orbit and on Earth, supporting the rapidly expanding space industrial base, ISAM (In‑Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing) operations, remote regions, and military bases.

Baiju Bhatt founded Cowboy Space Corporation in 2024. Inspired by his father's work with NASA Langley Research Center, Baiju earned his B.S. in Physics and M.S. in Mathematics at Stanford before co‑founding Robinhood, now a public company that has helped over 20 million Americans access the financial system. Cowboy Space Corporation has raised ~$365 million from Index Ventures, Interlagos, Construct Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, NEA, and others.

This is an ambitious mission that demands extraordinary talent. Cowboy Space Corporation's team has worked at places like SpaceX, Blue Origin, Stoke Space, Astranis and NASA. If you're ready to solve complex technical challenges and help build the most important energy company in the world, we want to hear from you.

About the Role:

As a Senior Manufacturing Engineer, you will be responsible for establishing how the engine is made as we build a rocket engine factory from the ground up, making key decisions about how hardware gets made, equipment purchases, and process development, rather than inheriting any existing systems.

Manufacturing Engineering is not a support function here. Our manufacturing engineers are accountable for delivering hardware. You will direct DFM for new and existing components, set the manufacturing direction for the parts you own, define how they get built and inspected, specify the tooling and the equipment, and own the result when hardware reaches the build cell. If a component is hard to make, that is a manufacturing engineering outcome.

This role adapts to changing program needs and your strengths, rather than being limited to a single component. We seek candidates with broad experience across programs and processes who understand different manufacturing methods and why they are chosen.

Responsibilities:

• Define the manufacturing concept of operations (CONOPS) and the design‑for‑manufacturability (DFM) strategy for your hardware, covering production methods, equipment selection, and build sequence.
• Bring a culture of creativity to every design and manufacturing challenge, ask the hard questions, own each fix or improvement with true accountability, and see it through to completion.
• Support facility layout and planning. Identify, specify, and purchase capital equipment. Afterward, install, integrate, and qualify the equipment.
• Design tooling and fixtures to support all processes from machining, welding, assembly, to handling and transport.
• Lead the process qualification plan for your hardware in partnership with Materials & Processes and Quality teams. Manage supplier interactions for externally routed parts and processes, including process capability and first article inspections.
• Oversee the qualification of new processes brought in‑house.
• Author all build documentation for your hardware including routings, work instructions, process specifications, and the manufacturing bill of materials. Use engineering judgment to determine the necessary level of detail for each step based on hardware maturity and design fidelity.
• Own your hardware’s delivery, build cycle time, yield, and rate readiness. Identify and resolve constraints, then scale the process from first article to repeatable production.
• Ensure configuration and pedigree are tracked throughout the entire build and test process. Manage the disposition of nonconforming hardware, lead rework and repair efforts, resolve root causes, and oversee nonconformance reports from creation to closure.
• Mentor team members within and outside the manufacturing engineering group.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Materials Science, or equivalent experience.
• Comprehensive understanding of mechanical design and manufacturing principles, including proficiency with GD&T per ASME Y14.5, tolerance stack analysis, and dimensional inspection techniques such as CMM, Faro Arm, Blue Light Scan, and manual Inspection.
• Demonstrated hands‑on ownership of build and assembly processes on the manufacturing floor.
• Proficiency in CAD.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a proven ability to facilitate and resolve challenging technical discussions.
• Experience evaluating and dispositioning nonconforming hardware and developing detailed rework or repair plans.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Minimum of 8 years of hands‑on experience in hardware manufacturing, utilizing a variety of methods such as machining, additive manufacturing, welding, brazing, forming, casting, forging, cleaning, non‑destructive testing, precision assembly, and acceptance testing of integrated hardware.
• Background spanning multiple product lines and manufacturing methods.
• Proven track record in establishing new factories or production lines, and/or transferring qualified manufacturing processes between sites.
• Extensive development‑phase involvement, including taking hardware from concept through first article and qualification to repeatable production at rate. Proficiency with Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and Manufacturing Execution System (MES) software.
• Demonstrated capability in developing work instructions and process specifications, and qualifying them through continued conversations and iteration.
• Proven skillset in the design, analysis, and procurement of tooling for manufacturing and assembly applications throughout product lifecycle.
• Proficiency in Siemens based CAM and or machine languages.

Compensation and Benefits:

The salary range for this position is $134,434 – $188,207 annually. The actual base salary offered will depend on factors such as job‑related skills, experience, qualifications, and internal equity.

• Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.

• Employees and their eligible dependents may enroll in 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 snacks

ITAR Requirements

Export Control Requirement: To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here.

Disclaimer

This job description is a summary of the primary duties and responsibilities of the job and position. It is not intended to be a comprehensive or all‑inclusive listing of duties and responsibilities. Contents are subject to change at Cowboy Space Corp.’s discretion.

Cowboy Space Corp. is an equal employment opportunity employer. We consider individuals for employment or promotion according to their skills, abilities and experience. Cowboy Space Corp. is committed to complying with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religious creed, age, national origin, ancestry, physical, mental or developmental disability, sex (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and medical conditions relating to pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding), veteran status, military status, marital or registered domestic partnership status, medical condition (including cancer or genetic characteristics), genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, as well as any other category protected by federal, state or local laws.