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Senior Manufacturing Engineer - Propulsion

Cowboy Space Corporation· Production Engineering
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Kent, Washington$175k - $220kFull-timePosted 1mo ago

About the role

Senior Manufacturing Engineer responsible for establishing how the engine is made, building a rocket engine factory from the ground up, and owning manufacturing decisions from design for manufacturability to tooling, equipment, and build readiness.

Responsibilities

  • Define the manufacturing concept of operations (CONOPS) and the design-for-manufacturability (DFM) strategy for your hardware, covering production methods, equipment selection, and build sequence.
  • Bring a culture of creativity to every design and manufacturing challenge, own each fix or improvement with true accountability, and see it through to completion.
  • Support facility layout and planning. Identify, specify, and purchase capital equipment. Afterward, install, integrate, and qualify the equipment.
  • Design tooling and fixtures to support all processes from machining, welding, assembly, to handling and transport.
  • Lead the process qualification plan for your hardware in partnership with Materials & Processes and Quality teams. Manage supplier interactions for externally routed parts and processes, including process capability and first article inspections.
  • Oversee the qualification of new processes brought in-house.
  • Author all build documentation for your hardware, including routings, work instructions, process specifications, and the manufacturing bill of materials.
  • Own your hardware’s delivery, build cycle time, yield, and rate readiness. Identify and resolve constraints, then scale the process from first article to repeatable production.
  • Ensure configuration and pedigree are tracked throughout the entire build and test process. Manage the disposition of nonconforming hardware, lead rework and repair efforts, resolve root causes, and oversee nonconformance reports from creation to closure.
  • Mentor team members within and outside the manufacturing engineering group.

Qualifications

  • Minimum of 8 years of hands-on experience in hardware manufacturing, utilizing machining, additive manufacturing, welding, brazing, forming, casting, forging, cleaning, non-destructive testing, precision assembly, and acceptance testing of integrated hardware.
  • Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Materials Science, or equivalent experience.
  • Comprehensive understanding of mechanical design and manufacturing principles, including proficiency with GD&T per ASME Y14.5, tolerance stack analysis, and dimensional inspection techniques such as CMM, Faro Arm, Blue Light Scan, and manual inspection.
  • Demonstrated hands-on ownership of build and assembly processes on the manufacturing floor.
  • Proficiency in CAD or similar computer-aided design tools such as NX, Solidworks, Creo, or CATIA
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a proven ability to facilitate and resolve challenging technical discussions.
  • Experience evaluating and dispositioning nonconforming hardware and developing detailed rework or repair plans.

Skills

Required:DFM and CONOPS developmentProcess qualification and CAPATooling and fixture designProject/plant layout and equipment selectionProduct lifecycle and documentationCAD tools
Nice to have:Manufacturing leadershipTooling procurementPLM/MES familiarity

Benefits

  • Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.
  • Medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and eligible dependents
  • 401(k) retirement savings plan
  • Paid time off
  • 10 paid holidays per calendar year
  • Paid parental leave
  • Relocation assistance if applicable
  • Daily lunch in the office and a fully stocked kitchen with beverages and snacks
Last updated Oct 11, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

About Cowboy Space Corporation

Powering Humanity From the High Frontier

Cowboy Space Corp. is building a power grid in outer space for artificial intelligence. It is an integrated system of satellites and rockets to haul high-performance compute and optical data transmission down from Low Earth Orbit. Earth's energy grid can't run at the pace of AI. We can.

Orbital Data CentersAI compute in spacesolar-powered data centersLow Earth Orbitpower grid in space
Company profileWebsite

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