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Job Description
Flight Reliability Engineer
Department: Programs
Employment Type: Full Time
Location: Redondo Beach
Reporting To: Drew Damon, VP of Spacecraft Programs
Compensation: $120,000 - $180,000 / year
Description
At Impulse, reliability is mission critical. As a Flight Reliability Engineer, you will help ensure our vehicles and missions achieve the highest standards of safety, performance, and operational dependability. You will lead cross-functional efforts focused on mission assurance, flight readiness, anomaly resolution, and continuous improvement across multiple flight programs. This role sits at the intersection of engineering, operations, and leadership, with direct impact on vehicle certification, mission execution, and customer confidence.
Responsibilities
- Evaluate mission and vehicle risks throughout development, integration, test, and flight operations; drive mitigation strategies across multidisciplinary engineering teams
- Develop and maintain scalable processes for risk identification, disposition, and closure
- Lead vehicle-level readiness reviews for major program milestones, including test campaigns, launch operations, and flight readiness activities
- Own root cause investigations for significant flight and ground-test anomalies, driving corrective and preventive actions to closure
- Advance internal mission assurance processes including change management, configuration control, impact assessment, and lessons learned capture
- Partner closely with design, manufacturing, software, avionics, propulsion, GNC, and operations teams to improve mission reliability across the full vehicle lifecycle
- Support development of early certification and compliance approaches for government and commercial customers across multiple programs
- Serve as a technical representative with customers, government stakeholders, and external partners during reviews, investigations, and mission operations
- Champion a culture of accountability, rigor, and continuous improvement throughout the organization
Minimum Qualifications
- 3+ years of experience in aerospace, defense, launch vehicles, spacecraft, aviation, or other highly complex technical systems
- Strong analytical, organizational, communication, and decision-making skills
- Experience driving structured problem solving and root cause investigations
- U.S. Citizen with the ability to obtain and maintain a DoD TS/SCI or TS/SAP security clearance
- Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical field
Preferred Skills and Experience
- 5+ years' of demonstrated experience in aerospace, defense, or complex technical system management
- Systems engineering background with experience managing technical interfaces and requirements across complex programs
- Programming experience in a modern scripting language
- Strong understanding of space vehicle fundamentals
- Knowledge of relevant aerospace design and test specifications
- Working knowledge of CAD tools and engineering drawing interpretation
- Hands-on familiarity with systems engineering practices, spacecraft testing, integration processes, and mission operations
Additional Information:
Compensation bands and the final job level are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options, and access to medical, vision & dental coverage as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.
To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.
Compensation bands and the final job level are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options, and access to medical, vision & dental coverage as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.
To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.
Impulse Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Impulse Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.