Staff Propulsion Performance Architect

trueanomalyinc; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare coverage

Generous time off

Lunch and snacks

Job summary

True Anomaly seeks a Staff Engine Performance Analyst to serve as the analytical backbone of our propulsion development program. You will build high-fidelity models of thruster systems and work with designers to optimize hardware before build, focusing on engine balance, injector sizing, and combustion stability.

You will apply CFD to combustion dynamics, develop thermal-fluid models, and collaborate across teams to ensure performance and reliability in extreme space environments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering.
• 12+ years of professional experience in liquid rocket engine or thruster analysis.
• Experience building and running integrated 1D engine cycle models in ROCETS, Sinda/Fluint, GFSSP, or similar tools.
• Significant injector sizing experience with impinging, coaxial, or swirl injectors.

Responsibilities

• Own engine balance and cycle modeling to predict system-level performance and support architecture trade studies.
• Lead injector analysis and sizing to translate model outputs into design guidance for hardware engineers.
• Assess and mitigate combustion instability with analytical methods and design mitigations.
• Apply CFD to characterize combustion dynamics and feeding results back into stability assessments.
• Develop thrust chamber thermal-fluid models to predict wall temperatures and cooling performance.
• Collaborate with designers and suppliers to validate models against test data and hot-fire results.
• Build lightweight design tools to enable quick component sizing by engineers.
• Define evolutionary analysis plans that mature with hardware development and testing.
• Establish analytical best practices and foster a culture of rigor within the propulsion team.
• Mentor and cross-train team members on core analysis methods and tools.

Skills

Engine balance modeling

Injector sizing

Combustion stability analysis

CFD methods

Thermal-fluid modeling

Education

Bachelors in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Tools

ROCETS

Sinda/Fluint

GFSSP

Ansys Fluent

Reacting Flow

Job description

True Anomaly seeks a Staff Engine Performance Analyst to serve as the analytical backbone of our propulsion development program. You will build high-fidelity models of thruster systems and work with designers to optimize hardware before build, focusing on engine balance, injector sizing, and combustion stability.

You will apply CFD to combustion dynamics, develop thermal-fluid models, and collaborate across teams to ensure performance and reliability in extreme space environments.