Principal Thermal Protection System Engineer (TPS)

Location: Playa Vista, Los Angeles, California; in-person five days per week

Salary: $230,000–$270,000 per year, plus performance-based bonuses and equity.

Company

hirify.global is an orbital logistics company developing reusable Earth-return vehicles for in-space manufacturing, on-orbit warehousing, global delivery, national security, commercial cargo, research payloads, and critical aid.

What you will do

• Define the thermal protection system architecture and strategy for the CarryAll reentry vehicle.
• Select TPS materials and stack-ups while balancing thermal performance, mass, and mechanical flexibility.
• Guide high-fidelity aeroheating CFD and thermal response modeling for reentry loads.
• Lead characterization and testing of flexible and rigid TPS materials, including arc-jet, radiant heat, and mechanical load testing.
• Manage the transition from theoretical designs to flight hardware, including TPS material vendors, fabrics, thermal barriers, and adhesives.
• Develop verification plans, support flight qualification, mentor junior engineers, and contribute to future reentry vehicle generations.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Aerospace, Mechanical, Materials Engineering, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience developing thermal protection systems, hypersonic aerodynamics, or high-temperature structural materials.
• Working knowledge of convection, radiation, and conduction heat transfer during atmospheric entry.
• Proficiency with thermal and ablation modeling tools such as FIAT, CMA, Thermal Desktop, or custom solvers, plus ANSYS and MATLAB/Python.
• Hands-on experience with environmental or arc-jet testing of TPS materials.
• Ability to manage complex trade studies involving mass, volume, and thermal performance, and communicate thermal risks clearly.

Nice to have

• Active U.S. Government Security Clearance.
• Experience with hypersonic vehicle flight hardware from concept through post-flight analysis.
• Familiarity with NASA or DoD thermal protection standards.
• Experience in a Design, Build, Fly environment with rapid iteration cycles.

Culture & Benefits

• Fast-paced startup environment with evolving requirements and high technical urgency.
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage, including company-paid base medical coverage and all vision and dental premiums.
• Short- and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, paid time off, and nine paid holidays.
• 401(k) with company match, annual performance bonuses, and meaningful equity.
• Daily DoorDash lunch stipend, unlimited snacks, coffee, and tea.
• Pet-friendly office with monthly company events and happy hours.