Principal Turbo Hydrodynamicist

About The Role

This is a high ownership role on a fast moving team! You will own the hydrodynamic design of the rocket engine's turbopumps: driving the engine- and vehicle-level design trades, predicting head, flow, efficiency, and suction margin across the operating box, following the hardware from concept through build, and proving its performance on the test stand. This includes inducers, impellers, diffusers and volutes, inlet and discharge flowpaths, the internal leakage and cavity flow network, and the axial thrust balance.

Responsibilities

• Own pump primary and secondary flowpath hydrodynamic design from concept through qualification.
• Drive hydrodynamic design for maximum efficiency and suction performance while meeting head-rise, axial thrust, and rotordynamic requirements.
• Ensure hardware meets performance across the full operating box—start transients, deep throttle, off-nominal inlet NPSH, and repeated cycles.
• Lead hydrodynamic analysis (meanline/throughflow, single- and multiphase CFD) and validate against powerpack and engine test data.
• Define and execute pump test campaigns.
• Work directly with manufacturing to iterate quickly and resolve fabrication and assembly issues.
• Support hot-fire operations, anomaly investigation, and post-test hardware inspection and design iteration improvement cycles.
• Develop tools and best practices for the rest of the organization.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, or related engineering field.
• 12+ years of experience in turbomachinery hydrodynamic or aerodynamic design and analysis for flight hardware or high-performance rotating machinery.
• Experience with pump sizing, specific speed and suction specific speed selection, blade and passage geometry definition, and material selection for pumped-fluid compatibility.
• Experience with secondary flow and axial thrust analysis—leakage and cavity flow networks, balance piston, thrust piston, and wear ring sizing, seal and bearing coolant circuits, and net thrust balance across the operating box.
• Hands-on experience taking rotating hardware from design through build and test.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with liquid cryogenic rocket engine turbopumps or reusable propulsion systems.
• Strong background in cavitation and suction performance, including thermodynamic suppression head and cavitation instabilities.
• Experience with turbine aerodynamics—nozzle and blade row design.
• Experience integrating hydro, aero, secondary flow and/or thrust balance results with rotordynamics and structural teams.
• Familiarity with cryogenic fluids and/or high-speed, high-power-density rotors.
• Proficiency with CFD and meanline/throughflow tools and ability to correlate to real-world test data.
• Experience mentoring or leading engineers.

Compensation And Benefits

• The salary range for this position is $170,000 – $245,000 annually. The actual base salary offered will depend on factors such as job-related skills, experience, qualifications, and internal equity.
• Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.
• Employees and their eligible dependents may enroll in medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 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