Propulsion Engineer - Pressure Vessels Lead (COPV)
Long Beach · USD 136,120-193,224 · 4+ years experience · Full-time · Onsite · Posted Oct 5, 2026
At a glance
- Experience
- 4+ years experience
- Employment
- Full-time
- Workplace
- Onsite
- Location
- Long Beach
- Salary
- USD 136,120-193,224 · Base salary
About the role
- Vast is looking for a Lead Propulsion Engineer, reporting to the Senior Manager, Propulsion Flight Hardware, to design and qualify the pressure vessels for human-rated space stations.
- You will set the technical approach, review designs and analyses, and take an active technical role while leading a rapid, iterative development cycle across the full product lifecycle.
Responsibilities
- Lead the pressure vessel team: set technical direction, review the work, and develop the responsible engineers and analysts under you
- Serve as technical authority over the Haven Station COPV and metallic tank designs, reviewing and approving releases from the responsible engineers
- Set the analysis and test approach for the team: composite layup analysis, stress and fracture, proof, burst, cycle, and stress rupture testing
- Lead failure investigations on prototype and qualification hardware and carry the findings into the next design iteration
- Own tank requirements and interfaces with Propulsion, ECLSS, and Structures
- Support the responsible engineers with the liner supplier, the winder, and the metallic fabrication shops on specifications, deviations, inspection, and acceptance
- Work with the matrixed manufacturing engineers on producibility, inspection methods, and a plan to bring winding in house
- Write and defend the qualification and fracture control approach for crewed flight
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, materials science, or equivalent experience
- 4+ years of experience designing, analyzing, or testing pressure vessels or composite structures for flight or other high consequence use
- Experience carrying hardware from design through build and test
Preferred qualifications
- Composite overwrapped pressure vessel design, analysis, or test, for propulsion, life support, or any other application
- Design and qualification to AIAA S-081 or S-080
- Fracture control for crewed spacecraft per NASA-STD-5019
- Filament winding pattern design and composite manufacturing
- Titanium tank fabrication: forgings, superplastic forming, welding, heat treatment, and inspection
- Propellant management device design
- Type IV hydrogen or CNG tank development
- Analysis in Ansys, Abaqus, or Femap/Nastran, including laminate analysis. WoundSim or similar winding simulation is a plus
Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents
- Generous paid time off; up to 20+ days of vacation for exempt staff
- Paid parental leave
- Short and long-term disability insurance
- Life insurance
- Access to a 401(k) retirement plan
- ClassPass credits
- Personalized mental healthcare through Spring Health
- Free snacks, drip coffee, cold drinks, and dinner meals with subsidized lunch
- Company equity
Workplace
- Occasional travel to suppliers and to the Mojave Test Site
Skills
- Ansys
- Abaqus
- Femap/Nastran
- WoundSim
- Filament Winding
