Staff Engineer, Propulsion (R5899)

Quick Facts

• Responsible Engineer for critical propulsion hardware and capabilities
• Owns propulsion execution from requirements through procurement, integration, build, test, flight, and operational support

Description

We are seeking a highly motivated Staff Propulsion Engineer to support the design, development, integration, and fielding of a next-generation autonomous aircraft system. The role requires technical rigor, rapid decision-making, and hands-on engineering to efficiently transition concepts into operational capability, with ownership across engine performance, hardware design, vehicle integration, test, and data analysis.

What You'll Do

• Serve as the Responsible Engineer for assigned propulsion hardware or capabilities from requirements through procurement, build, test, flight, and operational deployment.
• Own engine performance and integration activities, including requirements, interfaces, operability, transient behavior, performance margins, and vehicle-level impacts.
• Lead technical design reviews, supplier engagements, and hardware procurement while ensuring propulsion hardware meets performance, thermal, structural, reliability, and mission requirements.
• Plan and execute propulsion testing, including instrumentation, procedures, data acquisition, performance validation, and test-to-flight readiness.
• Analyze ground and flight data to understand engine behavior, quantify margin, identify anomalies, and drive design, control, or operational improvements.
• Lead failure investigations and root cause efforts using analysis, inspection, testing, and data to develop effective corrective actions.
• Work hands-on with design engineers, technicians, controls, fluids, airframe, manufacturing, supply chain, test, and flight teams to integrate and iterate propulsion hardware.
• Mentor less experienced engineers and technicians and help strengthen engineering practices across the propulsion team.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• 7+ years of experience in aerospace propulsion development, integration, test, or flight operations, with demonstrated ownership of complex aerospace hardware.
• Strong understanding of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, compressible flow, and gas turbine engine performance (thrust generation, fuel consumption, operability, transient response).
• Hands-on experience with propulsion hardware integration, instrumentation, testing, flight support, and technical failure investigations.
• Strong proficiency in Python (or similar tools) for engineering analysis, data reduction, and model correlation.
• Ability to independently drive ambiguous technical problems to measurable results in a fast-paced development environment.
• U.S. citizenship and ability to obtain security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with fighter-class, low-bypass turbofan, afterburning, or other high-performance gas turbine engines.
• Experience working with engine OEMs or aerospace suppliers through procurement, development, qualification, and integration.
• Experience with engine controls, performance tuning, transient validation, or propulsion and flight-control integration.
• Familiarity with GFSSP, REFPROP, ANSYS, FEA, CFD, Siemens NX, or Teamcenter.
• Background in rocket propulsion with experience transferable to high-performance propulsion design, integration, analysis, or test.
• M.S. or Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.

Benefits

• Pay within range + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
• Temporary employee offer package: pay within range + temporary benefits package (after 60 days of employment)
• All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check