SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.
TURBOMACHINERY ENGINEER (STARSHIP)
SpaceX is seeking a highly motivated Turbomachinery Engineer to join our team in designing and developing the next generation of turbopumps for Raptor. Lead the design, development and qualification of rocket turbopumps for multiple applications at SpaceX, taking the designs from initial concept to flight. Conduct coupled aerodynamic/hydrodynamic and mechanical design and demonstrate a broad turbomachinery system understanding as well as the ability to work with a wider team of specialists in the various sub systems. Ensure that turbomachinery solutions are developed to meet challenging manufacturing goals, minimum cost/weight and on an aggressive schedule.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Own critical turbomachinery components and be responsible for every aspect of the turbomachinery design, demonstrate ownership and work in close collaboration with manufacturing and assembling
- Perform the hydrodynamic sizing and flowpath design and analysis work for impellers and diffusers for the raptor engine and other turbomachinery for spacecraft systems
- Ensure that detailed mechanical analysis is performed on all the turbopump components/systems. Review drawings and make sure that selected designs meet the required standards for life and reliability targets
- Devise accurate and correct models, develop new methodologies and first principles-based tools to determine turbopump performance and operability. Push the boundary of the state of the art of turbomachinery designs by exploring innovative concepts
- Interface with our world-class production team to ensure designs are successfully translated into flight hardware that is revolutionizing access to space
- Work with teams developing other systems (vehicle, feedlines, valves, etc.) to ensure that the turbopump design is optimally integrated and that risks are well balanced across the system
- Own secondary flow analysis and design, ensure that current and future hardware meets performance targets
- Support both component and assembly testing. Be involved with defining the test configuration, the test process/execution and review the results to confirm
- Lead the resolution of issues encountered with the turbopump during development/qualification testing
- Support ongoing design improvements to turbopump assemblies and/or sub systems including manufacturing improvements to reduce cost and lead time of components
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline
- 1+ years of professional experience in the design of turbomachinery or related turbomachinery experience
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Master's degree or higher in aerospace, aeronautics or mechanical engineering
- Strong understanding of pump hydrodynamic/aerodynamic design and fundamentals of turbomachinery
- Strong understanding of turbomachinery mechanical design
- Strong understanding of thermodynamics, compressible and incompressible flow, thermochemistry mechanics and/or materials
- Experience with turbomachinery manufacturing and design of manufacturability
- Experience with secondary flow and axial thrust balance modeling
- Experience with meanline analysis
- Hands-on experience with turbomachinery hardware build
- Experience with turbomachinery testing and engine testing
- Professional experience using Siemens NX (Unigraphics) or other CAD packages
- Experience with Ansys (CFX, Mechanical, Thermal)
- Understanding of engineering fundamentals and the ability to develop first principles based models and quick estimates
- Perseverance in the face of extreme challenges
- Experience at a nimble engineering organization or in a highly technical position that required a scrappy, entrepreneurial manner to accomplish tasks with tight time or budget constraints
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
- Ability to deliver against an aggressive schedule
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Willingness to travel in support of launching and testing of hardware
- Willingness to work extended hours and weekends as needed to resolve critical technical or timing issues
ITAR REQUIREMENTS:
- To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.
SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX 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.
Applicants wishing to view a copy of SpaceX’s Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to [email protected].
Top Skills
What We Do
SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches the world’s most advanced rockets and spacecraft. The company was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk to revolutionize space transportation, with the ultimate goal of making life multiplanetary.
SpaceX has gained worldwide attention for a series of historic milestones. It is the only private company ever to return a spacecraft from low-Earth orbit, which it first accomplished in December 2010. The company made history again in May 2012 when its Dragon spacecraft attached to the International Space Station, exchanged cargo payloads, and returned safely to Earth — a technically challenging feat previously accomplished only by governments. Since then Dragon has delivered cargo to and from the space station multiple times, providing regular cargo resupply missions for NASA.
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