NASA Spacecraft Pyrotechnics Systems Engineer

NASA Spacecraft Pyrotechnics Systems Engineer

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident.
• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or related disciplines required.
• At least seven to ten years of related pyrotechnics/ordnance engineering experience in aerospace or other industries.
• Experience working within program requirements to provide pyrotechnic flight hardware development, qualification, certification, and acceptance tests.
• Experience in definition of pyrotechnic system architecture, component/device design, structural interfaces, pyrotechnic safety standards, and operational requirements.
• Must be flexible, open to new challenges in a dynamic environment, and possess strong technical expertise combined with strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities with little supervision.
• Must be a highly responsible, team-oriented individual with strong work ethic.
• Must have highly developed coordination and organization skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide engineering support to NASA programs, communicate spacecraft requirements, such as JSC-62809 Human Rated Spaceflight Pyrotechnic Specification and apply them to technical issues or design challenges.
• Support research and development of new GFE pyrotechnic/ordnance project concept, design, testing and qualification for space vehicle applications including ground support equipment.
• Communicate engineering position rationale on analysis and data results to various internal and external organizations.
• Provide failure investigation and problem-solving efforts for device or system technical issues and elaborate paths forward or options.
• Perform and coordinate design engineering analysis and optimization activities using dynamic analysis software such as LS Dyna.
• Prescribe and communicate proper testing specifically for pyrotechnic test systems, data acquisition hardware and techniques through leading in a team environment with attention to detail and documentation.
• Coordinate with NASA Safety and Mission Assurance on pyrotechnic safety measures and standards to ensure quality, reliability, and performance of pyrotechnic devices.

Preferred Qualifications

• M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or related disciplines.
• Experience greater than ten years related experience in pyrotechnics is highly valued, i.e., the greater the experience level the better.
• Experience using principles and practices involved in the definition, design, development, integration, test, manufacturing, and operations of pyrotechnic systems including all elements within a pyrotechnic system. Elements include but are not limited to, initiators, detonators, safe and arm devices, explosive transfer lines, pyrovalves, riser cutters, reefing line cutters, shaped charges, separation bolts, frangible joints, frangible nuts, through bulkhead initiators, cartridge assemblies, and mechanically actuated devices.
• Knowledge of oversight required for GFE hardware over the development life cycle.
• Skilled in systems engineering and scientific principles and practices of pyrotechnic systems for spacecraft development and evaluation, including cost/risk trades, design optimization, problem resolution and hardware enhancements or improvements.
• Experience with dynamic engineering analysis software tools.