Propulsion Mechanical Engineer (Aerospace)

Location: Los Angeles, California, United States. Work arrangement: On-site at the Playa Vista office.

Targeted base salary: $120,000–$160,000 per year, excluding additional benefits.

Company

hirify.global manufactures satellite buses at scale through software, vertical integration, and hardware designed for production spacecraft.

What you will do

• Own the mechanical design and integration of spacecraft propulsion hardware, including thrusters, PPUs, manifolds, flow-control hardware, propellant lines, and tanks.
• Design propulsion module structures, housings, mounts, thermal straps, plasma-facing components, and mechanical interfaces.
• Perform structural, vibration, fluid, and thermal analyses for launch loads, thermal cycling, and long-duration on-orbit operation.
• Create and maintain CAD models, drawings, and GD&T for flight hardware, and support manufacturing, assembly, and integration.
• Plan and execute vacuum, performance, leak, proof-pressure, vibration, and thermal-vacuum qualification testing.
• Investigate test anomalies, support launch campaigns and on-orbit performance evaluation, and drive corrective actions and design improvements.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
• 3+ years of experience delivering mechanical and/or fluid-system hardware.
• Strong knowledge of fluid mechanics, including compressible or rarefied gas flow, pressure drop, flow control, and contamination control.
• Experience designing and developing pressurized fluid systems.
• Proficiency with CAD tools; NX experience is preferred.
• Ability to own hardware from concept through qualification and flight, and collaborate across propulsion, thermal, avionics, and systems engineering.

Nice to have

• Experience with electric propulsion systems such as Hall thrusters or ion thrusters.
• Experience with spacecraft propellant feed systems and xenon or alternative electric-propulsion propellants.
• Familiarity with vacuum-facility propulsion testing and vacuum-system gas behavior.
• Prior flight-hardware experience.

Culture & Benefits

• Equity participation and a fast-growing startup environment.
• Company-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents, plus $100,000 life insurance.
• Paid vacation starting at 15 days and growing to 20+ days annually, plus 10 paid holidays.
• 401(k) plan with employer matching and eight weeks of paid parental leave.
• In-person collaboration, catered lunches, office activities, workspace equipment, and childcare reimbursement for work-related travel.