Senior Propulsion & Thermal Hardware Engineer

Fortastra; Torrance (CA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited Paid Time Off

Comprehensive Healthcare

Equity

401(k)

Social events

Job summary

Fortastra is seeking a Sr. Thermal & Propulsion Engineer to own propulsion hardware and Thermal Control Systems for spaceflight hardware. You will design, build, and integrate bipropellant propulsion components and related thermal hardware, transitioning concepts into flight-ready hardware.

The role emphasizes hands-on assembly, testing, and collaboration with systems and structures teams to ensure robust interfaces and reliability in space environments. On-site in Torrance, CA.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of industry experience in propulsion and/or thermal-fluid systems for spacecraft.
• Hands-on propulsion hardware design including bipropellant thrusters and feed systems.
• Experience designing Thermal Control Systems for complex aerospace hardware.
• Proficiency with CAD tools for mechanical design and integration.
• Strong understanding of fluid dynamics and thermal-fluids for hardware-level solutions.
• Experience taking systems from concept through fabrication and test on real hardware.
• Preference for hardware-focused engineers.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end design of bipropellant propulsion hardware, including thrusters and feed components.
• Architect and implement Thermal Control Systems for propulsion and related subsystems.
• Define fluid and thermal architectures for reliable performance across mission phases.
• Create CAD models, assemblies, and drawings for propulsion and hardware.
• Select and qualify propulsion and thermal components and drive design-for-manufacture decisions.
• Collaborate with systems, structures, avionics, and GNC teams to define interfaces.
• Support test planning and execution for propulsion and thermal systems, aiming for flight-readiness.

Skills

Propulsion hardware

Thermal-fluid systems

CAD tools

Fluid dynamics

Hardware integration

Cross-functional collaboration

Concept through fabrication

Education

B.S. in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Tools

CAD software

Propulsion hardware tooling

Job description

Fortastra is seeking a Sr. Thermal & Propulsion Engineer to own propulsion hardware and Thermal Control Systems for spaceflight hardware. You will design, build, and integrate bipropellant propulsion components and related thermal hardware, transitioning concepts into flight-ready hardware.

The role emphasizes hands-on assembly, testing, and collaboration with systems and structures teams to ensure robust interfaces and reliability in space environments. On-site in Torrance, CA.