Senior Manager, Propulsion and Fluids Analysis

Team Leadership

• Manage and lead a team of Propulsion and Thermal analysts, including hiring, mentoring, and technical development.
• Set standards for analysis methods, documentation, and best practices in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• Expand company capabilities in analysis by validating and establishing methods and practices across structural, fluid, and thermal domains.

Structural Analysis

• Create and maintain FEA models of propulsion components to support design and certification.
• Define and review critical loads and load cases in collaboration with GNC, fluids analysis, dynamics/loads engineers and design teams.
• Mentor design and analysis engineers in analysis methods and validation via testing to review/approve component drawings with feedback.
• Partner with test engineering to plan and execute structural and dynamic tests, and perform associated analyses.

Fluids & Thermal Analysis

• Oversee multiphase propellant feed system and microgravity fluid behavior modeling, including vaporization, condensation, propellant acquisition and slosh dynamics.
• Guide high-pressure gas system analysis, transient flow behavior (e.g., water hammer, adiabatic compression), and thruster plume impingement studies.
• Support development and validation of propulsion fluid systems using best practices
• Integrate simulation results with ground and flight test data to validate models and refine designs.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with design, manufacturing, propulsion, thermal, and GN&C teams to ensure analysis informs critical decisions.
• Present technical findings at design reviews and contribute to NASA certification processes.
• Lead root cause investigations and corrective actions when issues arise.

Do you have experience in Solid mechanics?, * B.S. degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, or related Engineering field.

• 8+ years of relevant aerospace design and analysis experience.
• 2+ years of experience overseeing / managing a technical engineering or analysis team.
• Strong expertise in structural analysis, including FEA modeling, stress analysis, and load case development.
• Experience with thermo fluid analysis tools (CFD, 1-D system modeling, etc.)
• Knowledge of mechanical design, manufacturing processes, and design-for-manufacturability principles., * M.S. or higher in Aerospace, Mechanical, or related Engineering.
• Experience in human spaceflight hardware design and analysis.
• Expertise in multiphase fluid dynamics, propellant management, and slosh modeling under low-gravity conditions.
• Experience with thermo-mechanical fatigue, fracture analysis, and spectrum loading fatigue analysis.
• Hands-on experience with high-pressure gas systems, transient fluid dynamics and heat exchangers.
• 5+ years of experience with liquid or gas rocket engine combustion devices, including RCS design.
• Track record of leading multidisciplinary teams linking analysis predictions with test and qualification data to accelerate hardware development and certification.

Pulled from the full job description

• Paid parental leave
• Parental leave
• 401(k)
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance
• Dental insurance, Base salary will vary depending on job-related knowledge, education, skills, experience, business needs, and market demand. Salary is just one component of our comprehensive compensation package. Full-time employees also receive company equity, as well as access to a full suite of compelling benefits and perks, including: 100% medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents, generous paid time off; up to 20+ days of vacation for exempt staff and up to 10+ days of vacation for non-exempt staff with the ability to cash-out unused vacation annually, 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, and other discounts and perks. We also take pride in offering exceptional food perks, with snacks, drip coffee & onsite barista, cold drinks, and dinner meals remaining free of charge, and lunch subsidized as part of Vast’s ongoing commitment to providing high-quality meals for employees.

At Vast, our mission is to contribute to a future where billions of people are living and thriving in space. Vast is developing next-generation space stations to ensure a continuous human presence in space for America and its allies, enabling advanced microgravity research and manufacturing, and unlocking a new space economy for government, corporate, and private customers. Using an incremental, hardware-rich and low-cost approach, Vast is rapidly developing its multi-module Haven Station. Haven Demo’s 2025 success made Vast the only operational commercial space station company to fly and operate its own spacecraft. Next, Haven-1 is expected to become the world’s first commercial space station when it launches, followed by additional Haven modules to enable permanent human presence by 2030. Our team is all-in, committed to executing our mission safely and on time. If you want to work with the most talented people on Earth furthering space exploration for humanity, come join us.