Principal Propulsion Engineer, Turbomachinery

NEUTRON 

Neutron is a medium lift launch vehicle capable of delivering the mega constellations of tomorrow, high assurance payloads, and human spaceflight. As a highly reusable launch platform, Neutron will deliver a highly cost-effective and reliable launch solution leveraging Rocket Lab’s proven execution history with the Electron program. If you’re interested in joining a high performing team, pushing the boundaries with a clean sheet development of re-usable liquid launch vehicle, this is your opportunity! 

Principal Propulsion Engineer, Turbomachinery

The Principal Propulsion Engineer, Turbomachinery position is based out of Rocket Lab's headquarters in Long Beach, CA. This role is responsible for the design and development of the turbomachinery hardware for the Archimedes engine and will provide the opportunity for full life cycle ownership of clean sheet turbopump design. You will support the Neutron and Archimedes teams, with deliverables required for internal leadership, board of directors, and investors. 

WHAT YOU’LL GET TO DO:  

• Responsible engineer of significant turbomachinery components/systems 

• Drive design, manufacturing, testing, and flight to meet cost, life, reusability, and reliability milestones 
• Work with other teams and other members of turbomachinery team to achieve design goals 

• Design and analyze rotating and stationary turbomachinery components in the Archimedes turbomachinery.  

• This will include both hydrodynamics, mechanical, secondary systems, and integrated analysis of the turbomachinery 

• Support manufacturing of turbomachinery components 

• • Work with Manufacturing to identify critical capabilities and capital requirements 
  • Work with Manufacturing team to design components for optimal manufacturability 

• • Evaluate and resolve manufacturing issues for prototype manufacturing studies as well as at-rate manufacturing 

• Support component level and engine level testing.  

• • Define and drive testing campaigns to ensure performance and reliability requirements are met.  
  • Work with Test team to ensure test capabilities meet needs for pump requirement verification 
  • Work with other engine teams to ensure that pump testing needs are enveloped in engine development, qualification, and acceptance testing campaigns 

• • Ensure testing satisfies certification requirements 

• Support flight campaign preparations, flight operations, flight data and hardware review, and reuse campaigns 

• • Evaluate early flight data to support certification efforts 
  • Develop and evaluate recurring flight data review templates to monitor hardware health 

• As a subject matter expert, help define the methodology used across the company for turbomachinery design, analysis, manufacturing, and test. 

• Travel on an occasional basis to engineering offices, test sites, and launch sites to support development of turbomachinery 
• Serve as launch site engineering team liaison on an occasional basis for rapid on-site support 

YOU’LL BRING THESE QUALIFICATIONS:   

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering or discipline or equivalent 
• 10+ years of turbomachinery design experience  

• Experience with commercial analysis software 
• Fundamental understanding of mechanical design principles 

THESE QUALIFICATIONS WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE:  

• Proficiency in GD&T 
• Professional experience with NX, Ansys,  

• Rocket turbomachinery experience 
• Experience with best practices for design, qualification and production 
• Experience with a scrappy development environment