Senior/Staff Propulsion Engineer, Fluid and Mechanical Systems, In-Space

Ursa Major was founded to address a critical shortfall in the U.S. industrial base and bring a new model to aerospace and defense systems: we design and manufacture the world’s leading propulsion systems for space, hypersonic applications, and missile systems. 

Our products and technologies require an extraordinary team – a team that will mold tomorrow’s technologies while deploying today’s best. We are an intrinsically motivated team that has a passion for solving problems and empowering each other every day to develop our skills, knowing that there is always room for growth.

Ursa Major’s teams move fast and do a lot with little. We are looking for a skilled, fast learning individual who will serve as a central member of the team and take immediate ownership of fluid and mechanical system design efforts as a responsible engineer.  This role will be part of the technical organization, responsible for clean sheet design, development, and validation of a variety of propulsion hardware, as well as technical guidance and mentoring of a team responsible for similar hardware. Candidates will be expected to have ownership from the initial concept phase to a production-ready design and may need to support multiple engine programs simultaneously. 

Responsibilities: 

• Clean sheet design of fluid & mechanical spacecraft propulsion system components including actuators, valves, tanks, and fluid systems 

• Design modifications of existing components and prototypes to increase performance, improve manufacturability or resolve limitations 

• Mentor other engineers at Ursa Major on topics including design of components, system sizing, component testing, and system-level architecture and development for multiple programs. 

• Derive requirements from top level system and test objectives 

• Write, review, and update work instructions for the assembly of components as well as establish appropriate acceptance and qualification tests 

• Assemble and test first article prototypes 

• Work closely with interfacing teams to ensure successful integration of component designs into the propulsion system.  Support validation and recursive design during system development. 

Required Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering 

• 5+ years of relevant spacecraft propulsion experience 

• Experience with spacecraft fluid systems architecture, requirements, and design for various missions including LEO, GEO, and beyond 

• Experience with transient fluid modeling such as ROCETS, GFSSP, or AFT Impulse 

• Working knowledge of and hands-on experience with fluid, mechanical, and electrical systems 

• Strong understanding of industry standards and requirements including SMC-S-016, AIAA S-080, and SSCMAN 91-710 

• Desire to take ownership and help wherever needed on the team 

• Able to delegate tasks and lead large project scope 

• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and stay flexible based on customer demands and company priorities along with daily firefighting 

Desired Experience 

• Demonstrated proficiency with basic principles of design for manufacturability 

• Demonstrated proficiency with computer aided design and drafting and geometric dimensioning and tolerancing per ASME Y14.5 

• Spacecraft propulsion system and component design, test, or analysis 

• Familiarity with hypergolic propellant systems 

• Experience operating in ISO 9001 or AS9100 certified organizations. 

• Experience with structural, fluids, and thermal analysis using Ansys FEA software 

• 5+ years of Siemens NX CAD programs and Windchill PLM software 

• Master's or PhD in mechanical or aerospace engineering. 

• Component testing and validation experience 

• Direct experien