Lead Electric Propulsion Engineer at Apex in Los Angeles, CA

Job description

Spacecraft represent the most pressing unmet need across the entire aerospace industry. As more launch vehicles come online and the cost to orbit decreases, more companies launching payloads to space continue to emerge. For the first time in history, this influx of payload companies combined with reduced launch costs has resulted in a massive increase in need for commercial spacecraft platforms, known as satellite buses. These buses hold the payloads of our customers and are flown on launch vehicles. Apex manufactures these satellite buses at scale using a combination of software, vertical integration, and hardware that is designed for manufacturing. Our spacecraft enable the future of society: ranging from earth observation to communications and more. We’d love for you to join us on our mission of providing humankind access to the galaxy beyond our planet. About the Role Apex is seeking a Lead Electric Propulsion Engineer to build and lead the team responsible for Apex’s electric propulsion subsystem end to end, including Hall-effect thrusters, cathodes, flow controllers, and power processing units (PPUs). You’ll own the technical direction, development, qualification, and production readiness of the EP subsystem across Apex spacecraft. This is a hands-on technical and people leadership role. You’ll lead a team of propulsion engineers and technical specialists, set the EP roadmap, drive cross-component trades, and ensure the subsystem meets performance, reliability, schedule, cost, and production requirements. You’ll also serve as the primary propulsion interface across systems engineering, production, avionics, power, thermal, supply chain, quality, and program management. This is an opportunity to shape and scale a complete electric propulsion capability inside a company building spacecraft for serial production. Responsibilities: • Lead, grow, and develop Apex’s electric propulsion team, including engineers specializing in thrusters, cathodes, flow control, and PPUs. • Own the EP subsystem roadmap across Hall-effect thrusters, cathodes, flow controllers, and PPUs, aligning development with spacecraft platform and production needs. • Own EP subsystem performance, reliability, schedule, cost, and delivery of flight hardware at rate. • Drive cross-component technical trades across thruster, cathode, flow control, and PPU architecture, including operating points, interfaces, margins, and requirements. • Set technical standards for EP design, analysis, test, qualification, requirements, ICDs, and verification. • Drive design for manufacturability and testability so propulsion hardware can be built consistently and efficiently at production scale. • Partner closely with systems, avionics, power, thermal, structures, production, supply chain, quality, and program teams to resolve subsystem-level challenges. • Own EP test and qualification strategy, including vacuum facilities, diagnostics, life testing, and plans to scale test capacity. • Lead vendor strategy and build-vs-buy decisions for EP hardware and critical components. • Support launch campaigns, on-orbit performance evaluation, anomaly resolution, and root-cause investigations. • Communicate technical status, risks, tradeoffs, and development plans to engineering and company leadership. Qualifications: • Bachelor’s degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical, plasma/propulsion engineering, applied physics, or a related field. • 10+ years of propulsion engineering experience with significant depth in electric propulsion. • Strong technical experience with electric propulsion systems, including Hall-effect thrusters and the interfaces between thrusters, cathodes, flow control, and PPUs. • Demonstrated experience leading engineers and complex technical development, whether through people management, technical leadership, or both. • Proven track record developing and delivering flight propulsion hardware through design, qualification, production, and on-orbit operation. • Str