About the Job
Rocket Lab’s Neutron team is responsible for bringing our new large rocket Neutron and its launch and test sites to life. From designing and testing Neutron’s structures and components, to firing up its new Archimedes engines, to setting up Neutron’s launch pads and test sites across the United States, joining the N...
The Turbomachinery Engineer position will be based out of Rocket Lab's headquarters in Long Beach, CA. This future role is responsible for the design and development of the turbomachinery hardware for the Archimedes engine and will provide the opportunity for full life cycle ownership of clean sheet turbopump design...
Responsible engineer of significant turbomachinery components/systems
Key Responsibilities
Drive design, manufacturing, testing, and flight to meet cost, life, reusability, and reliability milestones
Work with other teams and other members of turbomachinery team to achieve design goals
Design and analyze rotating and stationary turbomachinery components in the Archimedes turbomachinery.
This will include both hydrodynamics, mechanical, secondary systems, and integrated analysis of the turbomachinery
Next-generation flowpath design and benchmarking of existing designs
Work with turbomachinery team to drive pump head and suction performance improvements
Support manufacturing of turbomachinery components
Work with Manufacturing team to design components for optimal manufacturability
Support component level and engine level testing.
Work with other engine teams to ensure that pump testing needs are enveloped in engine development, qualification, and acceptance testing campaigns
Ensure testing satisfies certification requirements
Support flight campaign preparations, flight operations, flight data and hardware review, and reuse campaigns
Evaluate early flight data to support certification efforts
Work with vehicle fluids teams to ensure stable pump operation and performance in all phases of flight, leveraging test and other resources
As a subject matter expert, help define the methodology used across the company for turbomachinery design, analysis, manufacturing, and test.
Travel on an occasional basis to engineering offices, test sites, and launch sites to support development of turbomachinery
Serve as launch site engineering team liaison on an occasional basis for rapid on-site support
Required Skills & Abilities
Bachelor’s degree in a mechanical or aerospacen engineering or discipline or equivalent
2+ years of turbomachinery design experience
Experience with commercial design and analysis software
Fundamental understanding of mechanical design and fluid dynamics principles
Bachelor’s degree in a mechanical or aerospacen engineering or discipline or equivalent
5+ years of turbomachinery design experience
Experience with commercial design and analysis software
Fundamental understanding of mechanical design and fluid dynamics principles
Bachelor’s degree in a mechanical or aerospacen engineering or discipline or equivalent
8+ years of turbomachinery design experience
Experience with commercial design and analysis software
Fundamental understanding of mechanical design and fluid dynamics principles
Proficiency in GD&T
Professional experience with NX, Ansys & BladeGen, StarCCM
Rocket turbomachinery experience and flowpath design
Experience with compressible flows, cryogenic and real-gas fluids
Experience with best practices for design, qualification and production
Experience with a scrappy development environment
Work Authorization
Citizenship of AU / NZ / EU / NATO
