Senior Propulsion Engineer, Design (Combustion Devices)

Location: Hybrid work near Denver or Long Beach with some on-site work required. Remote work may be considered case by case for exceptionally qualified candidates, but only from an approved location within the United States; remote employees travel to a primary office approximately once a month.

Base salary: $165,000–$245,000 per year, plus equity and benefits.

Company

hirify.global develops autonomous spacecraft, advanced payloads, mission software, and space-based interceptors for U.S. and allied space-security missions.

What you will do

• Own combustion device design, analysis, optimization, and qualification from architecture trades through flight delivery.
• Design injectors, combustion chambers, regenerative cooling circuits, nozzles, valves, nozzle extensions, and related flow systems.
• Develop and validate regenerative cooling designs, thermal and structural analyses, and combustion performance models using NASA CEA and related tools.
• Design acoustic cavities and other passive features to address combustion instability, including the use of high-temperature alloys and additive manufacturing.
• Collaborate with suppliers and partners to interpret hot-fire and cold-flow test data and improve future hardware.
• Lead trade studies, build and integration campaigns, design reviews, hardware releases, process improvements, and mentorship of junior engineers.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering.
• 8+ years of professional liquid rocket engine or thruster development experience.
• Hands-on experience designing combustion devices, regenerative cooling circuits, and propulsion hardware through analysis, build, integration, and test.
• Experience with NASA CEA or equivalent combustion analysis, acoustic combustion instability, high-temperature superalloys, and additive manufacturing such as SLM or DMLS.
• CAD and engineering drawing experience using GD&T standards, plus the ability to lead multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Must be a U.S. citizen and eligible for DoD Secret or TS/SCI clearance, or otherwise meet U.S. space technology export authorization requirements.

Nice to have

• Master’s degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering.
• Experience taking thruster or engine components through hot-fire, cold-flow, leak, and checkout campaigns.
• Direct leadership and mentorship experience, familiarity with the full vehicle lifecycle, and startup or high-tempo engineering experience.

Culture & Benefits

• Company-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage with HSA/HRA options.
• Flexible time off or accrued PTO of up to 25 days, plus paid holidays, parental leave, and sick leave.
• 401(k), fitness reimbursement, equity participation, catered lunches, and snacks for in-office employees.
• Work on spacecraft, payloads, mission software, and space-based interceptors supporting space superiority.