Senior Space Systems Engineer – Propulsion & Systems Lead

Kokopelli Capital; Durango (CO); On-site; USD 116,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

Dental and vision plans

Flexible Time Off

Parental leave

401(k) match

Job summary

Agile Space Industries in Durango, CO is seeking an experienced Systems Engineer to lead systems engineering across rocket engine and thruster development programs, driving a clear, executable thread from customer mission and CONOPS through requirements, architecture, design, verification, qualification, and delivery.

The ideal candidate has strong system‑level thinking and propulsion hardware experience, works with customers and internal teams to translate mission needs into requirements, and

Qualifications

• B.S. in Engineering or related technical field (or equivalent).
• 6+ years of experience driving systems development in aerospace or related technical field.
• Experience with liquid propellant rocket engine or thruster hardware development programs.
• Strong understanding of propulsion systems, fluid systems, and system integration challenges.
• Demonstrated experience in requirements definition, decomposition, and management.
• Experience leading or supporting verification and validation planning and execution through hardware development lifecycles.
• Experience supporting gated design reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, MRR, and TRR)/product lifecycle.
• Experience working with customers (government or commercial).
• Ability to drive system‑level decision making and cross‑functional alignment.
• Experience with requirements management tools (e.g., JAMA or similar).
• U.S. Citizenship or permanent residency required.

Responsibilities

• Work directly with customers to define mission objectives, CONOPS, and system success criteria
• Translate mission needs into clear, testable system requirements and maintain end‑to‑end traceability through delivery
• Lead system architecture development and trade studies, including evaluation of performance, risk, cost, and schedule impacts
• Ensure consistency and integration across propulsion, structures, avionics, thermal, fluids, and manufacturing interfaces
• Lead the definition, planning, and execution of the verification and validation approach, including qualification plans and acceptance test procedures (ATP)
• Ensure verification is tied directly to requirements and planned early in the development lifecycle
• Lead and support gated product development reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, etc.)
• Identify, track, and drive closure of technical risks, interface issues, and system gaps
• Independently analyze system performance and recommend design or architecture changes as needed
• Facilitate communication between customers, internal teams, and suppliers, ensuring clear understanding of system intent, constraints, and decisions
• Support failure investigations, root cause analysis, and corrective actions
• Contribute to improving systems engineering processes, tools, and execution across programs

Skills

Systems engineering

Requirements definition

Cross-functional collaboration

Risk management

Leadership

Communication

Traceability

Education

B.S. in Engineering or related field

Tools

JAMA or similar

Job description

Agile Space Industries in Durango, CO is seeking an experienced Systems Engineer to lead systems engineering across rocket engine and thruster development programs, driving a clear, executable thread from customer mission and CONOPS through requirements, architecture, design, verification, qualification, and delivery.

The ideal candidate has strong system‑level thinking and propulsion hardware experience, works with customers and internal teams to translate mission needs into requirements, and