Space Valve Engineer — Cryogenic Space Systems

Zenix Aerospace Inc; El Cajon (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Comprehensive benefits package

401k matching

Paid vacation

Wellness benefits

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Zenix Aerospace Inc is seeking a Space Valve Engineer to join our team in El Cajon, CA. This role drives cryogenic valve architecture, defines requirements, and collaborates closely with customers to guide design and development from concept through qualification and production.

You will lead end-to-end lifecycle activities, perform trade studies, and coordinate with manufacturing and suppliers. A strong background in valves, thermodynamics, and cryogenics is essential, with 5+ years in

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering required.
• 5 years minimum design/manufacturing experience; aerospace preferred.
• Experience designing, building, and testing valves for aerospace or industrial applications.
• Strong fundamentals: thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, control systems, cryogenics, structural mechanics.
• Proficiency with GD&T, tolerance stackups, material selection, and precision drawings.
• Strong requirements development and flow-down experience (SOWs, specs, test procedures).

Responsibilities

• Define and refine customer and system-level requirements; translate into technical design specs for cryogenic valves.
• Partner with customers to shape technical strategy, development scope, and product roadmaps.
• Lead concept development, detailed design, modeling, analysis, and engineering documentation.
• Own valve lifecycle from architecture to production support and sustainment.
• Conduct trade studies to meet system requirements using existing products.
• Lead technical reviews including PDRs, CDRs, data reviews, and design assessments.
• Develop qualification, acceptance, and functional test plans; support test execution.
• Collaborate with manufacturing teams during valve builds and tests.
• Serve as technical liaison to suppliers; drive design requirements and resolve challenges.
• Lead root-cause investigations and corrective actions.
• Provide input to estimating, operations, planning, and supply chain for new programs.
• Mentor junior engineers and help shape engineering processes and standards.
• Help inform customers on clean-sheet design and analysis requirements for valve systems.

Skills

Valve design

Aerospace experience

Thermodynamics

Fluid mechanics

Cryogenics

GD&T

Tolerance stackups

SolidWorks

CAD

Requirements development

Test procedures

Customer-facing communication

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

Job description

Zenix Aerospace Inc is seeking a Space Valve Engineer to join our team in El Cajon, CA. This role drives cryogenic valve architecture, defines requirements, and collaborates closely with customers to guide design and development from concept through qualification and production.

You will lead end-to-end lifecycle activities, perform trade studies, and coordinate with manufacturing and suppliers. A strong background in valves, thermodynamics, and cryogenics is essential, with 5+ years in