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Salary: USD 100,000 - 150,000 / annual
Cowboy Space Corp., founded in 2024 by Baiju Bhatt (co-founder of Robinhood), is building infrastructure to power and connect the orbital economy. The company develops satellites in Low Earth Orbit that collect sunlight and enable new capabilities—from powering on-orbit compute to transmitting energy via infrared lasers and delivering secure, high-bandwidth optical data. Backed by leading investors and staffed by aerospace and defense veterans, Cowboy Space is moving quickly to solve complex technical challenges in space infrastructure.
You will own Thermal Control Assembly (TCA) hardware through rapid design/build/test cycles, working closely with propulsion, structures, thermal, materials, manufacturing, and test operations teams. This is a real ownership role from day one, with senior TCA engineers available to mentor and guide your work.
Key responsibilities include:
- Own end-to-end TCA hardware lifecycle from requirements through manufacturing to flight qualification
- Lead mechanical design optimized for manufacturability using physics-based analysis (hand calculations, thermal and structural FEA, tolerance stack-ups)
- Implement advanced manufacturing techniques: additive manufacturing, precision CNC machining, EDM, and specialized joining (laser welding, vacuum brazing, diffusion bonding)
- Design tooling, fixtures, and work-holding solutions for rapid development and repeatable production
- Develop and qualify manufacturing process parameters for novel materials and geometries
- Plan and execute hotfire test campaigns, analyze results, and lead rapid redesign efforts balancing performance with manufacturing constraints
- Release production-ready models, drawings, specifications, and documentation
- Work directly with machinists, welders, and technicians on the shop floor to close the loop between design intent and manufacturing reality
The role is located onsite in Kent, WA and involves occasional off-hours work during test campaigns.
REQUIREMENTS:
Basic qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, or Aerospace Engineering
- 1+ years of experience in mechanical design for rocket engine or comparable high-performance hardware (internships, co-ops, and competition/research team experience count)
- Strong mechanical design proficiency with DFM/DFA emphasis, leading to hands-on fabrication, assembly, or component manufacturing experience
- Proficiency with 3D CAD (NX, SolidWorks, CATIA, or Creo), structural analysis tools, and creating engineering drawings to ASME Y14.5 GD&T standards
- Strong fundamentals in thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, and structural mechanics
- Must be a U.S. citizen, national, lawful permanent resident, 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 (ITAR requirement)
Preferred qualifications:
- 2+ years of experience with rocket engine TCA hardware, including component lifecycle ownership through production
- Hands-on experience with CNC machining, welding/brazing, or additive manufacturing
- Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) experience
- Precision machining knowledge: 5-axis CNC, high-speed machining, Swiss machining
- Specialized joining expertise: vacuum brazing, electron beam/laser welding, friction stir welding
- Tooling design: fixtures, EDM electrodes, CMM/welding fixtures
- Ansys Mechanical, Fluent, or Thermal Desktop experience
- Master's degree in an engineering discipline
- Leadership role on a student rocketry, Formula SAE, or similar design-build-test team
- Willingness to spend regular time on the shop floor and at the test stand
