Combustion Devices Development Engineer

The Exploration Company

Here at The Exploration Company, we are developing, producing, and operating Nyx, a modular and reusable space orbital vehicle that can eventually be refuelled in orbit and that can carry cargo - and potentially humans in the longer run. The heart of a spacecraft lies in its engines, and that's why we, at The Exploration Company, are dedicated to developing our own cutting-edge Propulsion Systems ensuring the highest level of efficiency and reliability in our space endeavours. We are seeking a talented Thermo-mechanical Engineer to join our Future Project division. As a key member of our engineering team, you will be responsible for designing, analyzing, and optimizing combustion devices for cryogenic rocket engines, with a focus on the main thrust chamber assembly. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES * Support structural and thermal analysis of combustion device hardware including injector heads, faceplates, combustion chambers, manifolds, and structural interfaces. * Perform finite element analysis (FEA) and establish practical design suggestions and establish design recommendations, and margin assessments for hardware development. * Develop and apply analytical and reduced-order models to estimate heat transfer, structural loads, and thermal boundary conditions to inform design trades and hardware maturation. * Support hardware development and maturation, including design iteration, development planning, test definition, and post-test assessment of structural and thermal performance. * Drive life assessment activities, including low-cycle fatigue, thermal fatigue, cyclic loading, margin tracking, and damage accumulation for reusable hardware. * Own structural reliability and lifecycle assessments of combustion hardware, including low-cycle fatigue, thermal fatigue, cyclic loading, and thermo-mechanical failure risk evaluation. * Collaborate with combustion and fluid engineers to translate predicted heat flux distributions, pressure fields, and flow characteristics into structural and thermal design requirements * Define structural and thermal instrumentation strategies for development testing and participate post-test data reduction, model validation, and correlation activities. * Contribute to material selection and design trades considering temperature capability, strength, fatigue resistance, oxidation compatibility, and cryogenic behavior. * Prepare technical documentation and contribute to design, and test reviews with clear technical justification and risk assessment. WHAT WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE FROM YOU * Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical discipline. * Experience (academic, internship, or professional) in structural or thermal analysis of high-performance mechanical systems. * Strong fundamentals in solid mechanics, heat transfer, and pressure-loaded structures. * Experience with FEA tools such as ANSYS, NASTRAN, Abaqus, or equivalent. * Ability to interpret complex thermal and pressure boundary conditions and apply them appropriately in structural models. * Understanding of fatigue, temperature-dependent material behavior, and nonlinear structural response. * Exposure to high-temperature or cryogenic systems is advantageous. * Familiarity with CAD (NX ideally) tools and ability to work directly with geometry. * Experience with Python or similar scripting tools for analysis automation or data processing is beneficial. Skills and Behaviours * Methodical and structured approach to problem solving. * Strong attention to detail and analytical rigor. * Clear written and verbal communication of technical rationale. * Ability to iterate analyses as design and test data evolve. * Interest in propulsion systems and combustion device development. * Demonstrates behaviors consistent with The Exploration Company’s core values of Mission, Vision, Integrity, Excellence, and Teamwork. Why you should join us! What makes us special here at The Exploration Company and why we think you will enjoy working here is:   * We’re Agile - we make decisions fast whilst keeping our goals and systems in mind  * We’re Open and Collaborative - we are transparent about risks and obstacles, so that we can cooperate to overcome them   * We have a lot of Fun - we refuel our energy knowing we are democratising space. It’s a wonderful and rare opportunity, are YOU up for the challenge?   We'd love to hear from you if you wish to be a part of our journey. Please submit your CV now for immediate consideration and we will be in touch shortly.    The Exploration Company is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability status. Relocation assistance is provided for those willing to relocate including visa sponsorship where applicable.   All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of a background check, which will be subject to the country, role, and project you applied for. By submitting your application, you acknowledge and agree that any offer of employment may be conditional upon successful condition of this check. The Exploration Company partners with Zinc Work Limited located in the UK (Zinc), a third-party provider, to ensure this process as efficient and transparent as possible. If applicable, you will receive an email from Zinc upon acceptance of your offer with a link to a secure portal where you can provide the required information to Zinc.

Isar Aerospace

Mission Brief  As a Design Engineer your main task is to support the combustion team in the design of components and assemblies of rocket engine combustion devices. These include the thrust chamber assembly consisting of the injector head, chamber, nozzle and nozzle extension, as well as the gas generator and the ignition system.  Your Role in Our Space Mission  * Perform CAD design and fluid-dynamics analysis of combustion devices components. * Participate in the entire design cycle of combustion devices from layout to component design of injector elements, manifolds, cooling channels, chamber, nozzle, gas generator and ignition system to the maturation of these components and the overall system through testing. * Be in contact with the production department to ensure that the designs comply with the chosen manufacturing methods and to track the manufacturing status of critical components. * Develop and mature tools specific to the design and development of combustion components. * Perform CFD calculations for reacting and non-reacting combustion devices parts. * Ensure component and system performance through development testing, design iterations and post-test data reviews. * Optimize thrust chamber assembly, gas generator and ignition system parts with regards to manufacturability and weight reduction.  Qualification Checklist * M.Sc. degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering or similar * 2+ years of professional experience in propulsion systems design, analysis or testing * Experience with rocket engine or gas turbine component development including combustion chambers, nozzles, injectors, ignition systems * Hands on experience in testing preparation and operation as well as post-test data reviews * Experience with cryogenic fluids and oxygen compatibility * Exceptional comprehension of engineering fundamentals: fluid dynamics, combustion and heat transfer * Proficiency in 3D CAD programs (SolidWorks & SiemensNX preferred)  * Proficiency in Python, Matlab or similar programming language  * Passion for rocket propulsion and space * Ability to effectively collaborate on multi-disciplinary and cross-functional teams * Highly organized and proactive with high attention to detail * Driven and eager to learn * Willingness to travel in support of launching and testing hardware Bonus Skills * Experience with numerical tools such as ANSYS Mechanical and/or ANSYS Fluent/STAR-CCM+ or similar for reacting CFD * Working knowledge of engine fluid components such as valves and pressure regulators * Experience in manufacturing  Benefits  * Employee Participation Program: Share in our success through our virtual company share program * 30 days of vacation: Enjoy the days off to relax and recharge * Company pension plan: Secure your future with our company pension plan, featuring a 20% employer contribution after the probation period * Subsidised lunch: Stay energised with delicious, subsidised lunches every day * Public transport ticket: Commute with ease using a fully financed Deutschlandticket * Sport Clubs membership: Stay fit with our sponsored sports club memberships (EGYM Wellpass) * Individual learning allowance: Grow your skills with an individual learning budget granted after the probation period * Childcare allowance: Receive a childcare allowance for your non-school-age children * And Much More! Discover additional perks and benefits when you join our team         Who we are We are Isar Aerospace and we are at the forefront of New Space building a modern space business to enable faster, better and cheaper access to space. Our mission is to help democratise space and use it for good in order to improve life on Earth now and for the future generations. We are a fast-growing company aiming to provide sustainable and environmentally friendly launch solutions for small and medium-sized satellites and constellations into Low Earth Orbit. The company is privately funded by world-leading technology investors with strong commitment and support and our team is made of driven and talented people with a real passion for space innovation. We're making rockets in a way that hasn't been done before disrupting a traditional industry. If you are up for the challenge, want to work on cutting-edge projects and be part of a team changing the world for better, come, join us and launch your career! Want to find out more about us? Visit www.isaraerospace.com   Data Protection We process your personal data for the purpose of managing the recruitment process and assessing your application. For detailed information on how your data is processed, including your rights, please refer to our Privacy Policy. Disclaimer Isar Aerospace SE is an equal-opportunity employer committed to fairness and inclusivity. We do not prioritize any specific religion, gender, nationality, or background. Due to security clearance requirements, affiliations with countries listed under § 13 para. 1 no. 17 SÜG may affect the application process. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply. We use Metaview to record interview audio so our team can review it later and stay focused during the conversation. We will record interviews only if you opt in. Please note that we will request your consent separately during the interview process. Participation is completely voluntary and will not affect your application in any way. For more information on how we process your personal data, please see our Privacy Policy.

Freeform

SENIOR DESIGN ENGINEER (AEROSPACE & DEFENSE HARDWARE) Freeform builds AI-native manufacturing systems that unify software, hardware, and physics to produce industrial-scale parts at the speed of human ideation. By treating manufacturing as a single integrated system, we unlock a new era of innovation where complex hardware is designed, built, and scaled without limits. Freeform is hiring a Senior Design Engineer focused on aerospace & defense hardware to sit at the intersection of advanced part design and additive manufacturing. This is a deeply technical senior engineering role responsible for rethinking how aerospace and defense hardware is conceived, designed, and produced - not just adapting existing parts for a new process, but fundamentally reimagining what's possible when legacy design constraints no longer apply. You will own complex design challenges end-to-end, working hands-on with some of the most complex hardware in the industry, and serve as a technical authority on where Freeform's platform unlocks performance regimes, architectures, and geometries that were previously impractical or impossible. The ideal candidate is a highly experienced mechanical or aerospace engineer with deep intuition for part design, a genuine passion for pushing the boundaries of what hardware can do, and a track record of leading technical work on complex hardware programs. They understand aerospace and defense systems at a component and systems level, can independently drive and mentor others on manufacturability, materials, and performance tradeoffs, and are excited by the creative challenge of designing parts from first principles. The core draw of this role is the engineering itself - though this person will also engage directly with some of the most sophisticated frontier companies in the aerospace and defense industries. Responsibilities:  * Drive part design and redesign across a broad range of aerospace and defense hardware, including:  * Propulsion systems  * Heat exchangers and thermal management hardware  * Valves and fluid systems  * Turbomachinery components  * Combustion devices  * Lightweight structural components and assemblies  * Develop and own deep component-level understanding of requirements, performance drivers, and system constraints within aerospace and defense programs  * Lead first-principles part redesigns, identifying where additive manufacturing enables new geometries, consolidated assemblies, improved performance, or reduced cost and lead time  * Define and evaluate design concepts with expert command of materials, tolerances, thermal and structural behavior, and production considerations  * Serve as a senior technical resource - independently resolving advanced questions related to design tradeoffs, process capabilities, qualification pathways, and production scalability, and helping guide less experienced engineers  * Partner closely with internal engineering and operations teams to drive feasibility, refine concepts, and own execution outcomes  * Lead technical engagements with customer engineering teams to understand application requirements, present design solutions, and establish deep technical credibility at a senior level  * Identify, scope, and champion new application spaces where Freeform's technology can deliver step-change improvements over conventional manufacturing  * Shape Freeform's product, process, and technology roadmap through field-informed technical leadership and strategic input  Basic Qualifications:  * Bachelor's degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering  * 5+ years of experience in a hands-on engineering role within aerospace, defense, or a closely related high-performance industry  * Demonstrated ability to lead complex hardware programs from concept through qualification and production  * Experience designing or analyzing propulsion systems, thermal systems, fluid systems, turbomachinery, or high-performance structural components  * Deep systems-level understanding of complex mechanical hardware and how components function within larger assemblies  Nice to Have:  * 10+ years of experience in a hands-on engineering role within aerospace, defense, or a closely related high-performance industry  * Familiarity with metal 3D printing or design for additive manufacturing (DFAM) concepts  * Strong intuition for part design, design-for-manufacturing, and how component geometry relates to performance and producibility  * Experience mentoring engineers and providing technical direction on hardware development programs  * Experience carrying hardware through development, qualification, and production ramp  * Ability to clearly communicate complex technical concepts to both engineering and non-engineering stakeholders  * Strong first-principles reasoning and comfort operating in ambiguous, fast-moving problem spaces  * Strategic thinker with an instinct for where technology can unlock the most value  * Team player, positive attitude, growth mindset, integrity, accountability, adaptability, entrepreneurial, driven, results-oriented and ethical  Location:  * Based in Hawthorne, our vertically integrated facility brings technology development, R&D, and production together under one roof. We operate at the center of LA’s deep tech ecosystem, surrounded by some of the most ambitious hardware innovation happening anywhere in the country.  * Our fast-paced, cross-functional environment is built on close collaboration, and as such, this role requires full-time onsite presence (five days a week), with very limited exceptions.  What We Offer:  * We have an inclusive and diverse culture that values collaboration, learning, and making deliberate data-driven decisions.  * We offer a unique opportunity to be an early and integral member of a rapidly growing company that is scaling a world-changing technology.  * Benefits  * Significant stock option packages  * 100% employer-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance (premium PPO and HMO options)  * Life insurance  * Traditional and Roth 401(k)  * Relocation assistance provided  * Paid vacation, sick leave, and company holidays  * Generous Paid Parental Leave and extended transition back to work for the birthing parent  * Free daily catered lunch and dinner, and fully stocked kitchenette  * Casual dress, flexible work hours, and regular catered team building events  * Compensation    * As a growing company, the salary range is intentionally wide as we determine the most appropriate package for each individual taking into consideration years of experience, educational background, and unique skills and abilities as demonstrated throughout the interview process. Our intent is to offer a salary that is commensurate for the company’s current stage of development and allows the employee to grow and develop within a role.   * In addition to the significant stock option package, the estimated salary range for this role is $150,000-$200,000. The upper end of the range is reserved for individuals who demonstrate exceptional experience, deep domain mastery, and a proven history of high performance and impact.  * Freeform is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values diversity; employment with Freeform is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.