Cowboy Space
Head of Analysis
$225K–$273K
Kent, Washington · On-site · Director · Full-time · Posted Oct 21, 2026
- Experience
- 10+ years in structural, thermal, or fluid dynamics analysis for aerospace or propulsion hardware, with at least 5 years in a technical leadership role managing a team of analysts.
- Education
- Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, or related engineering field; advanced degree preferred.
- Visa sponsorship
- Applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain required U.S. Department of State authorizations to meet ITAR export-control requirements.
About the job
Leads the analysis organization for Launch & Propulsion, setting technical standards and overseeing structural, thermal, and fluid dynamics analyses that substantiate engines and vehicle structures for design, test, and flight.
What you'll do
- Set analysis philosophy, safety factors, margin policies, model requirements, and analysis-versus-test strategy.
- Build and lead structural, thermal, and CFD teams; oversee analysis methods, tools, workflows, documentation, and correlation with test and flight data.
- Present analysis substantiation at program milestones and coordinate with design, test, manufacturing, and mission assurance teams.
What they ask for
- Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, or related engineering field.
- 10+ years of aerospace or propulsion structural, thermal, or fluid dynamics analysis experience, including at least 5 years in technical leadership managing analysts.
- Deep expertise in one analysis domain and working knowledge of the other two; experience defining analysis methods and margins and substantiating flight hardware for qualification and certification.
- Proficiency with analysis software and experience onboarding analysis tools and building or directing automated workflows.
Nice to have
- Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in Aerospace, Mechanical, or related engineering field.
- Rocket engine or propulsion component analysis experience; model correlation, in-house tools, or AI/ML-augmented analysis experience are also preferred.
Pay
$225,000 – $273,000 annually (USD, base salary)
Tools
ANSYS, Fluent, Star-CCM+, Nastran, Abaqus, Thermal Desktop, Sinda
AI focus
Develop and maintain AI/ML-augmented analysis methods to accelerate analysis workflows; examples include surrogate models, reduced-order models, automated meshing, and optimization loops.
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative