Structures Design Engineer
About this role
Description
As a Structures Design Engineer on this space vehicle program, you’ll play a key technical role and contribute to shaping engineering standards for pressurized structures, thrust frames, and integrated fluid systems. You’ll serve as the Responsible Engineer for major vehicle subsystems—owning the hardware from initial requirements through design, development, analysis, fabrication, testing, vehicle integration, and ultimately flight. We’re a small, driven team, so you’ll need to collaborate closely across disciplines with both engineers and technicians to move quickly. You’ll also be hands-on with your designs, with opportunities to build and test your own hardware—so expect to roll up your sleeves and work shoulder-to-shoulder with the shop and integration teams.
Qualifications
- 3+ years minimum experience in working in aerospace structures or fluids
- Designed, built and tested hardware
- Demonstrated proficiency with CAD software and analysis software (ANSYS preferred), should be able to talk to multiple examples of both
- Ability to determine appropriate level of work for a problem (from hand calcs to multi-physics finite element solutions) and execute the work accordingly
- Familiarity with launch vehicle design desired (cryogenic propellant familiarity preferred)
- Excellent written and verbal communication
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering
Responsibilities
- Define the structural and major fluids design of the rocket in coordination with owners of other portions of the vehicle
- Procure and manage all hardware for components and structures that you own
- Work to get your hardware built, tested and integrated onto the vehicle
- Help build design tools and guidelines that will accelerate development of components
Company at a glance
Orbital Operations is developing a high-thrust space vehicle for satellite defense. Its mission is to enable rapid-response orbital capabilities, executing maneuvers without hesitation and without regret. The company is led by co-founders Ross Doherty (COO) and Ben Schleuniger (CEO). Doherty previously worked at Aerojet Rocketdyne, Blue Origin, and Relativity Space, leading turbomachinery manufacturing and assembly for the Aeon-R engine and directing the Flight Termination System test and qualification program for the TM-1 rocket. Schleuniger previously worked at NASA, SpaceX, and Relativity Space, owning the fluid systems for the TM1 rocket, the complex heat exchangers on the Aeon-R engine, and building the Components team and the Integrated Design and Analysis teams. The founders' backgrounds reflect deep expertise in rocket engine design, propulsion, manufacturing, testing, and building high-performance engineering teams, positioning Orbital Operations to address the satellite defense market with rapid-response capabilities.
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