Astra

Upper Stage Engine Technical Lead

Alameda, CA · Contract

Sponsorship not specified$200k-$240kDetected 1 day ago

CybersecurityAvionicsMechanical DesignAerospace EngineeringHardware DesignLeadershipCommunicationCollaborationMentoring

About the role

Balance performance, reliability, manufacturability, operability, schedule, and cost when making technical decisions and establishing program priorities.
Testing & Validation Provide technical leadership for engine development and qualification hot-fire test campaigns.
Review engine test objectives, instrumentation plans, operating procedures, and success criteria.

As the technical authority for the engine, you will establish the propulsion system architecture, drive critical engineering decisions, and own the technical success of the engine throughout its development lifecycle.
How You'll Fulfill Your Mission Technical Leadership Serve as the technical authority for the Rocket 4 upper stage engine, establishing the technical baseline and approving major design decisions.
Define the overall propulsion system architecture and guide the evolution of the engine design throughout the development program.
Critically evaluate engineering analyses, design proposals, test results, and technical recommendations to ensure decisions are grounded in first principles and sound engineering judgment.
Own the engine-level technical risk posture and drive timely resolution of complex engineering challenges.
Lead technical investigations, design trades, and root cause efforts throughout the development program.
Team Leadership Recruit, build, mentor, and lead a high-performing team of propulsion engineers responsible for upper stage engine development.
Support the professional growth and technical development of engineers across the propulsion organization.

All jobs restricted by these regulations will be contingent upon the applicant's status as a documented U.S. Person or their ability to receive a trade license from the cognizant government agency
in addition to any required company background checks and in compliance with applicable U.S. and California laws.
Today, Astra offers one of the lowest cost-per-launch dedicated orbital launch services, and one of the industry's leading flight-proven electric propulsion systems for satellites, the Astra Spacecraft Engine.

$200,000-240,000 Salary and Benefits We're competitive in compensation and offer equity as part of the package.

We have great benefits that include health, vision, dental, and 401K in comparison to other startups.

The Engines team is responsible for developing, integrating, testing, and qualifying the propulsion systems that power Astra's launch vehicles.
We work across the full engine lifecycle - from architecture definition and concept development through detailed design, hardware development, hot-fire testing, qualification, and flight readiness.
The Rocket 4 upper stage propulsion system represents one of Astra's most important technical development efforts.
Whether the optimal solution is the evolution of an existing engine, the development of a new engine architecture, or the integration of a third-party propulsion system, our team is responsible for delivering a flight-ready propulsion system that meets the performance, reliability, operability, and cost objectives of the vehicle.

All jobs restricted by these regulations will be contingent upon the applicant's status as a documented U.S. Person or their ability to receive a trade license from the cognizant government agency; in addition to any req

This listing is sourced directly from Astra's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.