Head of Turbomachinery

ABL Space Systems is driven by the vision that in ten years, missions to space will launch every day from around the world. We’ve set out to assure global access to space through the development of a low-cost launch vehicle and a modular ground system, RS1 and GS0. 

Behind our business model is an exceptional team. Engineers, technicians and operators at ABL thrive on creating simple yet effective systems to tackle the challenge that space launch presents.

Launch is just the beginning. Join ABL in paving the way for the next-generation space platform.

As the Head of Turbomachinery at ABL, you will be responsible for building and leading a team of engineers to design, build, test, and fly turbopumps for the RS1 Propulsion system. This multi-disciplinary role requires deep, fundamental knowledge of how rocket engine turbopumps are designed, built, and operated. The Head of Turbomachinery sets the roadmap for the organization, establishes design and test standards, serves as the primary interface to the partner domains, and takes a hands-on role in the design and development of the products in the Turbomachinery portfolio. A successful leader in this position cultivates strong relationships across engineering, production, quality, and supply chain teams and builds a team of high-quality engineering professionals.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Build and lead a successful Turbomachinery engineering team, setting the development roadmap that meets propulsion and vehicle system requirements
• Lead design and development of turbopumps for new propulsion applications
• Establish and maintain Design and Test standards aligned with industry experience
• Drive reliability of turbomachinery through rigorous development and qualification testing
• Work closely with Production Team to establish, maintain, and grow work centers and technician training requirements
• Drive design for manufacturability initiatives to achieve cost and rate targets

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering or a similar degree
• 7+ years of professional engineering experience in turbomachinery with 2+ years in a leadership role
• Strong fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and structural mechanics fundamentals
• Strong communication skills with the ability to Interface with senior leadership, design engineering, production, and business teams
• Bladed component design using Concepts NREC and CFD
• Familiarity with data analysis and data processing
• Computer-aided design (CAD) and Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) experience
• Dedicated team player who’s excited about ABL’s first launch system!

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCES:

• Mechanical Design experience with Siemens NX/Team Center suite
• Thermal structural analysis using ANSYS software
• Rotordynamic fundamentals (SAFE and Campbell Diagrams) and analysis using XLRotor or similar
• Secondary Flow Modeling
• Hands-on turbomachinery component testing

ITAR Requirement

This position requires access to information protected under US export control laws, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations and/or the Export Administration Regulations. As such, US person status (including US citizens, U.S. permanent residents, individuals granted U.S. asylum status, or individuals admitted in U.S. refugee status) is a required qualification for this position.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, genetics, or citizenship status (when otherwise legally authorized to work and access export-controlled data) and will not be discriminated against on the basis of such characteristics or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. We encourage applicants of all ages.