Senior TPS Mechanical Engineer - Space & Hypersonics

Canopy A&D; Florida; On-site; USD 130,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental and vision insurance

401K with company match

Paid sick leave

Paid vacation

Paid holidays

Discretionary bonuses

Job summary

Canopy A&D is seeking a TPS design lead to own end-to-end turbine protection system components, translating concepts from simulation to flight-ready hardware for space and hypersonic platforms.

You will collaborate with aerothermal, design, materials, and test teams to deliver robust mechanical designs, perform trade studies, and guide CAD/Drafting through manufacturing. A strong background in TPS materials and a track record of accelerated schedules are essential.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of direct, verifiable experience designing and owning TPS components or assemblies qualified through flight or high-enthalpy testing (e.g., arc-jet facilities such as NASA Ames, AEDC).
• Comprehensive knowledge of TPS materials and architectures, including thermal blankets, ablative carbon composites, rigid ceramics, and cryogenic insulation for re-entry and hypersonic environments.
• Full lifecycle design experience taking hardware from concept through manufacturing, including 3D CAD modeling, drawing release, and GD&T application.
• Strong technical foundation in structural mechanics, materials science, thermodynamics, heat transfer, and ablation mechanics.
• Demonstrated track record of delivering hardware on accelerated schedules through pragmatic, creative engineering solutions.
• Strong interdisciplinary communication skills, with the ability to clearly convey complex technical concepts across cross-functional teams.
• U.S. Security Clearance Eligibility: Active Secret clearance (or higher), or the ability to obtain and maintain one, including meeting U.S. government background and export-control requirements

Responsibilities

• Execute end-to-end ownership of TPS components and subassemblies, from initial requirements definition through final hardware delivery.
• Own and drive material trade studies that balance thermal survivability, structural integrity, and manufacturing realities for hypersonic regimes.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with aerothermal, design, materials, and test groups to translate heat flux and aero loads into robust mechanical designs.
• Develop detailed CAD, drawings, ICD’s, interface directly with the manufacturing floor, and ensure parts are built to spec.
• Support rigorous testing campaigns such as arc-jet, rapidly perform raw data reduction, and draw actionable conclusions to iterate designs based on empirical data.
• Serve as the resident SME in the TPS space, maintaining robust knowledge of current state-of-the-art and next-generation technologies.
• Lead technical sections of proposals and new products that enhance the organization's technical capabilities and support strategic defense growth objectives.

Skills

TPS components ownership

3D CAD modeling

GD&T

Materials science

Structural mechanics

Ablative materials

Security clearance readiness

Education

Graduate degree

Job description

Canopy A&D is seeking a TPS design lead to own end-to-end turbine protection system components, translating concepts from simulation to flight-ready hardware for space and hypersonic platforms.

You will collaborate with aerothermal, design, materials, and test teams to deliver robust mechanical designs, perform trade studies, and guide CAD/Drafting through manufacturing. A strong background in TPS materials and a track record of accelerated schedules are essential.