Outpost

Principal Thermal Protection System Engineer (TPS)

Los Angeles, California · Principal

Sponsorship not specified$180k-$230kDetected 8 days ago

PythonMATLABCybersecurityLogisticsANSYSCFDMechanical DesignLeadershipCommunication

About the role

You will work closely with engineering leadership and the mechanical engineering team, to architect a TPS that is robust enough to handle hypersonic heat fluxes and flexible enough to stow and deploy on orbit.

Support and work alongside our aerothermal dynamics team to guide high-fidelity aeroheating analysis (CFD) and thermal response modeling to validate specifications and predict performance under reentry loads.
Oversee the transition from theoretical design to flight hardware, managing vendor relationships for TPS materials including fabrics, thermal barriers, and adhesives.
Develop and support the verification plan for the TPS subsystem, ensuring all requirements are met prior to flight.

Bachelor's degree or higher in Aerospace, Mechanical, or Materials Engineering (or related field).
10+ years of experience in the development of thermal protection systems, hypersonic aerodynamics, or high-temperature structural materials.
Working knowledge of heat transfer mechanisms (convection, radiation, conduction) specifically during atmospheric entry.
Proficiency with thermal and ablation modeling tools (e.g., FIAT, CMA, Thermal Desktop, or custom solvers) and analysis software (ANSYS, MATLAB/Python).
Hands-on experience with hardware testing, specifically environmental or arc-jet testing of TPS materials.
Active U.S. Government Security Clearance (Not required, but beneficial)
Direct experience with hypersonic vehicle flight hardware from concept to post-flight analysis.
Familiarity with government or commercial spaceflight standards (NASA/DoD) for thermal protection.
Proven ability to manage complex trade studies involving mass, volume, and thermal performance.
Strong written and verbal communication skills to articulate complex thermal risks to the broader engineering team.
Comfortable working in a fast-paced startup environment where requirements may evolve and urgency is key.
Experience in a "Design, Build, Fly" environment with rapid iteration cycles.

Lead the testing and characterization of flexible and rigid TPS materials, including arc-jet testing, radiant heat testing, and mechanical load testing.

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