Thermal Protection System Lead - Lunar Permanence Verified today
Role Overview
You will work directly with NASA as part of the Human Landing System (HLS) program, developing thermal protection systems that will return humans to the Moon and extend human presence beyond Earth. This role sits within the Thermal Design and Analysis group, which works closely with hardware delivery teams in the Lunar Permanence business unit.
What You'll Do
- Lead the Thermal Protection System design, including material selection, stack configuration, and analysis
- Own delivery and quality of the TPS system design and hardware solutions
- Lead development and testing campaigns for new materials or stacks to meet thermal and mechanical requirements
- Identify and develop flight implementation and installation approaches
- Balance hardware design against cost and schedule constraints
- Perform trade studies and optimizations, collaborating with external subsystems on trade-offs
- Document design and analysis results and present at program gated reviews
- Communicate progress to leadership via weekly/monthly program management reviews, finance reviews, long-term forecasting, and technical deep dives
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's Degree minimum
- 9+ years relevant Thermal Engineering experience
- Solid understanding of thermal fundamentals
- Familiarity with common materials used in thermal protection systems
- Demonstrated experience building and testing hardware in extreme environments
- Understanding of aerospace hardware verification and validation processes
- Ability to earn trust, maintain positive professional relationships, and contribute to a culture of inclusion
Desired Qualifications
- M.S. or PhD in mechanical or aerospace engineering
- Solid understanding of high temperature material properties
- Familiarity with heritage reusable and ablative TPS designs
- Proven experience taking novel designs through NASA certification
- Experience solving a variety of thermal problems demonstrating breadth in application
- Vendor technical management experience
- Familiarity with Thermal Desktop and Sinda/Fluint, including model validation and test correlation
- Familiarity with DOE and testing procedures
Compensation
Base pay range varies by location:
- CA: $156,802.00 - $219,522.45
- CO: $144,179.00 - $201,849.90
- WA: $156,802.00 - $219,522.45
- Other site ranges may differ
Benefits
- Medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance
- Paid parental leave, short and long-term disability
- 401(k) with company match up to 5%
- Education Support Program
- Stock options for regular employees (20+ hours/week)
- Up to four weeks paid time off per year, plus up to 14 company-paid holidays
- Performance-based bonuses (eligibility and amounts not guaranteed)
Employment Requirements
Applicants must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted as a refugee or granted asylum. Background check required for all positions.