Turbomachinery Mechanical Design Engineer
About the role
About Orbital Operations
At Orbital Operations, we’re building the future of dynamic space maneuvering. Our mission is to enable rapid-response orbital capabilities, executing maneuvers without hesitation and without regret.
Our flagship technology, the Cryogenic Propulsion Management System (CPMS), is redefining what’s possible in space mobility. Designed for military and commercial spacecraft, CPMS delivers sustained, high-thrust maneuverability in geosynchronous and cislunar orbits. It integrates low-loss cryogenic storage, reverse Brayton cycle (RBC) thermal control, and turbomachinery-driven propulsion to make spacecraft more agile, resilient, and responsive.
Beyond defense, CPMS is poised to transform commercial orbital logistics. By powering next-generation orbital transfer vehicles (OTVs), it can slash LEO-to-GEO transit times from six months to just eight hours—unlocking new possibilities for satellite servicing, deployment, and beyond.
Join us in building the infrastructure for a more maneuverable and mission-ready space domain.
About the Role
We are looking for a Turbomachinery Mechanical Design Engineer to help develop the high-performance pumps, turbines, and rotating assemblies that power our cryogenic propulsion system. You will work across the full hardware lifecycle from early architecture trades and detailed mechanical design through manufacturing, assembly, and testing. This is a hands-on, high-ownership role for an engineer who thrives in a fast-paced environment and wants to turn ambitious turbomachinery concepts into reliable, flight-ready hardware.
Responsibilities
- Own turbomachinery hardware from initial requirements and architecture trades through detailed design, manufacturing, assembly, test, and flight qualification.
- Develop detailed component designs, drawings, interface definitions, tolerance analyses, and geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) for rotating and stationary hardware.
