Propulsion Engineer I - Hardware and Bus Systems (Aerospace)

Location: On-site in El Segundo, California, United States.

Salary: $109,148–$139,466 per year, plus potential stock options and/or long-term cash awards.

Company

hirify.global develops commercial space infrastructure, including in-orbit pharmaceutical processing, reentry capsules, heat shields, and satellite buses, with vehicles built, integrated, and tested in-house.

What you will do

• Support and maintain spacecraft propulsion system architectures, technical baselines, P&IDs, and system-level documentation.
• Design, analyze, test, and execute upgrades for satellite bus propulsion hardware and fluid system components.
• Generate propulsion performance analyses covering propellant budgets, pressure ladders, component sizing, and structural and thermal limits.
• Build Python scripts and spreadsheet tools to automate analysis and test-data review workflows.
• Perform detailed mechanical design and structural analysis using CAD and FEA tools, and author engineering documentation and procedures.
• Support ground and in-flight propulsion operations, hardware nonconformance disposition, anomaly investigations, and corrective actions.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related discipline; equivalent professional experience may be considered.
• Hands-on propulsion or fluid-systems design, build, and/or test experience for spacecraft or launch vehicles, including internship, coursework, or project experience.
• Working knowledge of pressurized components, tubing, fittings, seals, valves, and instrumentation used in flight fluid systems.
• Ability to read P&IDs.
• Proficiency with CAD tools such as NX, SolidWorks, CATIA, or equivalent, and PLM software.
• Experience authoring or executing operational procedures for ground tests or flight campaigns.
• Ability to take ownership of assigned technical tasks and drive them to resolution.
• Must be a U.S. person authorized to access export-controlled technology and lawfully authorized to work in the United States.

Nice to have

• At least one year of spacecraft or launch-vehicle propulsion experience and familiarity with satellite bus propulsion architectures, including monopropellant, bipropellant, and cold-gas systems; graduate coursework is included.
• Experience with Python, MATLAB, or spreadsheet tools for recurring propulsion analysis or data-review automation.
• Exposure to ANSYS, NASTRAN, or equivalent FEA tools applied to propulsion or fluid-system hardware.
• Familiarity with technical drawing review and GD&T according to ASME Y14.5.
• Exposure to high-pressure fluid systems and spacecraft-grade propellants, including cryogenic, hypergolic, or high-test peroxide systems, with awareness of cleanliness, handling, and safety requirements.
• Test, launch-site, or in-flight operational experience on spacecraft or launch vehicles.
• Familiarity with one-dimensional fluid modeling and analysis tools such as GFSSP or REFPROP.
• Strong technical communication skills for work instructions, engineering specifications, and engineering memos.

Culture & Benefits

• Hands-on work across spacecraft design, production, integration, testing, and operations.
• Interdisciplinary collaboration with GNC, Mission Operations, Thermal, and other engineering teams.
• Opportunities to develop propulsion-system design, production, and operational fundamentals across current and future space vehicles.
• Eligibility for incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards.
• Equal-opportunity workplace with employment decisions based on merit, qualifications, and performance.