True Anomaly
Senior Propulsion Engineer, Design (Combustion Devices)
$165K–$245K
Denver, CO or Long Beach, CA +2 · Senior · Full-time · Posted Oct 5, 2026
- Location
- Denver, CO or Long Beach, CA
Denver, CO
Long Beach, CA - Experience
- 8+ years of professional experience in liquid rocket engine or thruster development; advanced degrees count toward years of experience.
- Education
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering.
- Visa sponsorship
- U.S. Citizen eligible for DoD Secret or TS/SCI clearance; alternatively, for ITAR compliance, 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 authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.
About the job
Own the full lifecycle design, analysis, testing, and flight delivery of combustion devices for in-space propulsion systems.
What you'll do
- Design and optimize combustion chambers, injectors, regenerative cooling circuits, nozzles, and flow systems from concept through qualification.
- Use combustion analysis and instability expertise to guide performance, cooling, and acoustic suppression designs.
- Lead trade studies and build campaigns; collaborate with suppliers, review and release hardware, and mentor engineers.
What they ask for
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering.
- 8+ years of professional experience in liquid rocket engine or thruster development.
- Hands-on experience designing combustion devices and regenerative cooling systems; proficiency with NASA CEA or equivalent.
- Experience with high-temperature alloys, additive manufacturing, CAD and GD&T, and aerospace build, integration, and test; U.S. Citizen eligible for DoD Secret or TS/SCI clearance.
Nice to have
- Master's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering (advanced degrees count toward years of experience).
- Experience qualifying components through hot-fire, cold-flow, and leak/checkout campaigns; team leadership, full vehicle lifecycle, or startup experience.
Pay
$165,000 to $245,000 USD base salary
Tools
NASA CEA, Inconel, Haynes, SLM, DMLS, CAD, GD&T
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative