At Virgin Orbit, we launch the small satellite revolution, accessing space for missions that were previously unimaginable and fostering new ideas and technologies to create a truly spacefaring civilization. We deliver Virgin’s legendary customer service by pairing technological advancements with a clear focus on our customers’ needs. We build a workplace and a workforce for the future, knowing that our decisions and investments of today will launch the industries of tomorrow. We engage a diverse and inclusive community of dreamers and achievers in a shared mission to access space to improve life on Earth. At Virgin Orbit, we boost imagination. Search all of our job openings on our career portal.

Position Summary

Virgin Orbit (VO) is seeking a new member for our team to serve as the Turbomachinery Engineer. If you join us in this position, you will coordinate a small team of engineers through the specification, design, development, and test for the turbomachines for the LauncherOne small satellite launch program. This role will be reporting to the Director of Propulsion and is a hands-on position with great attention to detail and excellent people skills. This is a full-time position at our rocket factory in beautiful Long Beach, California.

• Participate in test activities, review test profiles, provide safe operational conditions of turbopump, and participate in test readiness review, engine data review, integrated stage test data review, flight readiness review, and post flight data review.
• Experience post-processing data to assess turbopump health, rotordynamic performance and cavitation phenomena
• Maintain and/ or develop data reduction tools necessary for turbopump health assessment.
• Review and maintain engineering documentation including engineering models and drawings turbopump models of as-designed, as-built and as-tested turbopump configurations.
• Evaluate product nonconforming conditions by analyzing, developing and providing written dispositions for development, production, test, and post production discrepancies considering design requirements, safety, quality, cost and schedule.
• Coordinate and maintain vendor relations.
• Write, review, and update work instructions for assembly, handling, inspection of turbopump assemblies.
• Identify design and/or process modification to improve performance, reliability, manufacturability, and assembly.
• Facilitate and / or provide oversight of turbopump builds and production.

If you want to join us, you’d better have all of these…

• B.S. in Engineering required
• 2+ years of launch vehicle turbomachinery experience
• Must be able to provide proof of US-approved Covid-19 full vaccination status, unless otherwise exempted by an approved reasonable medical or religious accommodation from Virgin Orbit.

… and you should probably have a bunch of these, too...

• Ability to inspire comradery and mutual respect in a diverse team
• Understanding of high speed data analysis methods
• Ability to present trade studies, risks, schedules, and requirements to program management
• Passion for space exploration and a firm belief in the utility of affordable access to space
• Experience with high speed data acquisition and instrumentation using accelerometers and proximity probes.
• Source suppliers for the following but not limited assembly/ fabrication tooling support, rotor balance, casting, bearings and seals.
• Experience in  one or more of the following:
  • Mechanical design of turbomachinery
  • Testing high speed turbomachinery 
  • Turbine / Aerodynamic design
  • Pump / Hydrodynamic design
  • Force balance and secondary flows 
  • Design of Bearings and Seals / Mechanical Elements for rocket turbopump application.
  • Rotor-bearing / rotordynamics / high speed data
  • Manufacturing / producibility of turbopump hardware.
• Proficiency in 3D CAD programs (NX preferred).
• Knowledge in FEA analysis tools (ANSYS preferred)
• Knowledge in CFD analysis and flow networked codes.
• Experience with cryogenic fluids.
• Proficiency in Matlab or other codes.

ITAR Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by ITAR (22 CFR §120.15) or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Personal Requirements

Our idea of a happy life: build rockets, work with brilliant people, serve purposeful customers, and open access to space. Sir Richard Branson’s belief is “If you get the perfect mix of people working for your company, you have a far greater chance of success.” From the very start, we have placed top priority on growing and fostering a team of creative, diverse, and talented women and men. In the words of Sir Richard Branson “We believe it’s better to have a hole in your team than an asshole in your team!”

Search all of our job openings— www.VirginOrbit.com

Virgin Orbit is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Virgin Orbit 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, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.