Propulsion Design Engineer

Get AI-powered advice on this job and more exclusive features.

Direct message the job poster from USA Tech Recruit

We are seeking an experienced Senior Propulsion Design Engineer to join a fast-growing aerospace team. The ideal candidate will take full ownership of hardware design from concept through production, with a strong understanding of how their work integrates with and impacts surrounding systems. Complex technical challenges are approached and resolved from first principles.

In this role, you will lead the development of innovative jet engine and subsystem hardware from early prototypes through flight qualification, vehicle integration, and operational flight. You will champion a test-like-you-fly approach to ensure performance, reliability, and safety at every stage.

This would be a fully on-site position in San Francisco and you must be a US citizen.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and evaluate design trade studies, assessing impacts at the full system level.
• Execute detailed designs supported by structural, thermal, and fluid analyses.
• Lead design reviews and gather actionable feedback from key stakeholders.
• Build prototypes hands-on, design supporting tooling, and create clear work instructions.
• Perform hardware testing and analyze results to validate requirements and performance targets.
• Troubleshoot hardware issues promptly and define effective corrective actions.

Qualifications:

• 2 - 8 years of experience hands-on with fluidic and mechanical systems, ideally in propulsion or aerospace hardware at a startup / small company
• Hands-on experience with fluidic and mechanical systems, ideally in propulsion or aerospace hardware at a startup / small company. Must be designers first vs. analysis first and have designed tooling and supporting prototype builds from design to test
• Experience in solid, surface, and sheet metal CAD modeling
• Strong mechanical design skills and proficient in solid, surface, and sheet metal CAD modeling (Siemens NX), drawing generation, and GD&T
• Understanding of propulsion systems, heat transfer, thermodynamics, and turbomachinery
• Experience with data acquisition, instrumentation, and power electronics

By applying to this role you understand that we may collect your personal data and store and process it on our systems. For more information please see our Privacy Notice

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  Engineering, Design, and Manufacturing

• Industries

  Aviation and Aerospace Component Manufacturing

Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at USA Tech Recruit by 2x

Get notified about new Design Engineer jobs in San Francisco Bay Area .

San Francisco, CA $70,000.00-$125,000.00 2 days ago

Mountain View, CA $94,050.00-$141,550.00 2 weeks ago

Palo Alto, CA $168,000.00-$179,000.00 2 weeks ago

Fremont, CA $139,000.00-$200,000.00 2 weeks ago

Mechanical Engineer (New Grad / Entry Level)

Mechanical Engineering Internship, Prototyping

Sunnyvale, CA $139,000.00-$200,000.00 3 days ago

San Jose, CA $115,200.00-$153,600.00 4 days ago

Mountain View, CA $80,000.00-$102,000.00 2 weeks ago

Sunnyvale, CA $170,000.00-$240,000.00 3 days ago

Mechanical Design Engineer – Mechanical Integration

Menlo Park, CA $108,000.00-$123,000.00 2 weeks ago

San Jose, CA $115,000.00-$135,000.00 3 weeks ago

Alameda, CA $95,000.00-$134,000.00 4 days ago

Sunnyvale, CA $108,100.00-$182,900.00 1 week ago

Palo Alto, CA $100,000.00-$150,000.00 2 weeks ago

Livermore, CA $107,400.00-$117,600.00 1 week ago

Mechanical Product Design Engineer, Platforms, University Graduate

Sunnyvale, CA $105,000.00-$151,000.00 5 days ago

San Francisco, CA $140,000.00-$270,000.00 8 months ago

Mechanical Engineer (Autonomous Vehicles)

Sunnyvale, CA $111,000.00-$164,000.00 4 days ago

Mechanical Manufacturing Engineer, Data Centers

Sunnyvale, CA $96,000.00-$138,000.00 4 days ago

Santa Clara, CA $120,000.00-$180,000.00 1 month ago

We’re unlocking community knowledge in a new way. Experts add insights directly into each article, started with the help of AI.