Senior Propulsion Engineer, Hall-Effect Thrusters

The role

You will own the design, development, qualification, and production of Hall-effect thruster technology. You will drive thruster development from plasma physics and discharge channel design through flight integration and design-for-manufacturing.

What you will do

• Own end-to-end design and development of Hall-effect thrusters.
• Develop plasma physics and performance models.
• Define and execute thruster test and life-qualification campaigns.
• Develop erosion, degradation, and life models.
• Drive cathode-thruster coupling and EP system integration.
• Select materials and processes for spaceflight and scalable production.
• Optimize thruster designs for performance, mass, cost, and manufacturability.
• Partner with systems, power electronics, thermal, structures, and avionics teams.
• Support build, integration, and test of flight hardware and launch campaigns.
• Lead failure analysis and continuous design improvements.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical, plasma/propulsion engineering, applied physics, or a related field.
• 6+ years of relevant electric propulsion experience with a Bachelor's or Master's degree, OR a Ph.D. in electric propulsion, plasma physics, applied physics, or a closely related field with 3+ years o
• Substantial and demonstrable focus on Hall-effect thruster design, development, and testing.
• Deep, hands-on knowledge of Hall thruster physics and design.
• Experience planning and executing Hall thruster or EP test campaigns in vacuum facilities.
• Strong understanding of failure and degradation mechanisms that drive Hall thruster life.
• Working knowledge of spacecraft propulsion system architecture, propellant feed systems, and PPU interaction.
• Experience owning hardware through design, development, build, and test.
• Ability to decompose requirements and ICDs and communicate clearly across engineering disciplines.
• Must be a U.S. Person (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual) as defined by ITAR.

Nice to have

• Direct experience taking a Hall thruster from development through flight qualification and on-orbit operation.
• Experience with magnetically shielded, wall-less, and/or unshielded Hall thruster architectures.
• Experience with alternative propellants, including krypton and other non-xenon EP propellants.
• Familiarity with Hall thruster plasma simulation tools, including particle-in-cell and hybrid codes, and magnetic FEA.
• Familiarity with PPU/thruster drive electronics and power interface definition.
• Design-for-manufacturing experience bringing propulsion hardware into serial or high-rate production.
• Experience with EP environmental qualification, including vibration, TVAC, and EMI testing.
• Experience supporting failure investigations and resolving issues on flight or qualification hardware.

Benefits

• Equity in Apex
• 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision for you and your dependents
• $100k life insurance at no cost
• Starting at 15 days vacation, growing to 20+ days annually
• 10 paid holidays
• 100% match on first 3% and 50% on next 2% of 401(k)
• 8 weeks paid parental leave
• Childcare reimbursement up to $350/day for work-related travel
• Daily catered lunch and unlimited snacks
• Monthly office socials, pickleball tournaments, run club, and gatherings

Before you apply

• Must be a U.S. Person (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual) as defined by ITAR
• Must be able to obtain required export authorizations from the U.S. Department of State, Department of Commerce, or another agency

About the company

Apex manufactures satellite buses at scale using software, vertical integration, and hardware designed for manufacturing. Their spacecraft enable earth observation, communications, and more.