Parachute Systems Engineer

The Aerospace Corporation is the trusted partner to the nation’s space programs, solving the hardest problems and providing unmatched technical expertise. As the operator of a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), we are broadly engaged across all aspects of space— delivering innovative solutions that span satellite, launch, ground, and cyber systems for defense, civil and commercial customers. When you join our team, you’ll be part of a special collection of problem solvers, thought leaders, and innovators. Join us and take your place in space.

Building on The Aerospace Corporation's reputation as a trusted, impartial advisor with integrity and dedication to mission success, the Civil Systems Group (CSG) combines deep technical expertise with market-leading innovation to help our customers solve complex systems engineering and integration challenges. CSG is organized by core customer-facing lines of business to manage and grow programs within NASA, NOAA, and the NNSA, while extending our capabilities to other civilian federal government agencies fully integrated within Aerospace rules, regulations, processes, values, and behaviors.

We are looking for a Parachute Systems Engineer (Senior Project Engineer – Mechanical Engineering) to join our NASA Human Spaceflight support team. This role offers a unique opportunity to serve as a trusted, embedded technical advisor at the heart of some of the nation's most critical crew safety systems — the parachutes that bring astronauts home safely aboard SpaceX Dragon, Boeing Starliner, and NASA's Orion spacecraft. As a key member of the NASA Parachute team, you will provide direct engineering insight and government surveillance at the manufacturing source, ensuring the highest standards of quality, safety, and mission assurance are maintained from fabrication through post-flight inspection.

This is a full-time position based onsite at Airborne Systems in Santa Ana, CA, requiring 100% onsite presence to perform resident engineering and surveillance duties. The role may also require regular travel to NASA Kennedy Space Center, FL, and other NASA/contractor facilities as mission activities dictate.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Serve as a key technical member of NASA's Parachute team supporting human-rated parachute systems for the SpaceX Dragon, Boeing Starliner, and NASA Orion programs — vehicles at the center of NASA's Commercial Crew and Artemis missions.

• Act as a resident engineer embedded at the parachute manufacturing facility, providing NASA with continuous, on-the-ground visibility into fabrication, build, and processing activities.
• Provide hands-on engineering expertise across the full parachute lifecycle, including fabrication, build, processing, testing, packing, installation, and post-flight inspection of flight hardware.
• Monitor manufacturing processes, Foreign Object Debris (FOD) and contamination control practices, and technician work certifications to ensure compliance with program requirements and quality standards.
• Execute Product Assurance Actions on behalf of NASA, performing government surveillance activities including in-process witnessing, documentation review, and non-conformance identification.
• Anticipating risks to schedule and quality across fabrication and test activities, proactively identifying issues before they impact flight readiness.
• Building strong working relationships with NASA engineering teams, manufacturing personnel, and program stakeholders to resolve technical issues quickly and effectively.
• Identifying process improvements in manufacturing surveillance, inspection techniques, and quality assurance practices that enhance safety and efficiency.

What You Need to be Successful- Senior Project Engineer – Mechanical Engineering

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Materials Engineering, or a related STEM discipline.
• 10+ years of experience in aerospace manufacturing, systems engineering, quality assurance, or hardware integration, with direct exposure to flight hardware fabrication and/or test environments.
• Demonstrated experience with manufacturing surveillance, in-process inspection, or government/customer representative roles at a contractor facility.
• Working knowledge of textile/parachute materials, fabrication processes, or similarly complex mechanical/structural assembly operations.
• Familiarity with FOD prevention and contamination control practices in a controlled manufacturing environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce clear technical status reports and communicate issues to NASA technical leadership.
• Willing to work onsite full-time at the parachute manufacturer's facility, with occasional travel (approximately 10%) to NASA Kennedy Space Center, FL, and other program locations as required.

How You Can Stand Out

It would be impressive if you have one or more of these:

• Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Direct prior experience supporting NASA human spaceflight parachute programs (e.g., Orion, Commercial Crew Program, CPAS) or similar crew-rated recovery systems.
• Experience serving as a NASA or DoD resident engineer, source inspector, or quality assurance representative at a contractor manufacturing facility.
• Familiarity with NASA Product Assurance requirements, government surveillance processes, and associated documentation/reporting standards.
• Experience with post-flight hardware inspection, anomaly investigation, and disposition of recovered flight hardware.

We offer a competitive compensation package where you’ll be rewarded based on your performance and recognized for the value you bring to our business. The grade-based pay range for this job is listed below. Individual salaries within that range are determined through a wide variety of factors including but not limited to education, experience, knowledge and skills.

(Min - Max)

Leadership Competencies

Our leadership philosophy is simple: every employee, regardless of level and role, can demonstrate leadership. At Aerospace, our commitment is our people. To cultivate our talent and ensure that we have a strong pipeline of future leaders, we want individuals who:

• Operate Strategically
• Lead Change  
• Engage with Impact  
• Foster Innovation  
• Deliver Results

Ways We Reward Our Employees

During your interview process, our team will provide details of our industry-leading benefits.

Benefits vary and are applicable based on Job Type. A few highlights include:

• Comprehensive health care and wellness plans

• Paid holidays, sick time, and vacation

• Standard and alternate work schedules, including telework options

• 401(k) Plan — Employees receive a total company-paid benefit of 8%, 10%, or 12% of eligible compensation based on years of service and matching contributions; employees are immediately eligible and vested in the plan upon hire

• Flexible spending accounts

• Variable pay program for exceptional contributions

• Relocation assistance

• Professional growth and development programs to help advance your career

• Education assistance programs

• An inclusive work environment built on teamwork, flexibility, and respect

We are all unique, from various backgrounds and all walks of life, yet one thing bonds all of us to each other—the belief that we can make a difference. This core belief empowers us to do our best work at The Aerospace Corporation.

Equal Opportunity Commitment

The Aerospace Corporation is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, color, religion, genetic information, marital status, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, physical disability, medical condition, mental disability, or disability status and any other characteristic protected by state or federal law. If you’re an individual with a disability or a disabled veteran who needs assistance using our online job search and application tools or need reasonable accommodation to complete the job application process, please contact us by phone at 310.336.5432 or by email at peoplemangmnt.mailbox@aero.org . You can also review Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal.

About Us

Right Place

The Aerospace Corporation has over 26 locations nationwide, which allows us to build a workforce that will nurture the best ideas, and generate the most novel innovations and solutions to our nation’s toughest space enterprise challenges.

Right Path

Aerospace covers all stages of the space lifecycle, from concept to operations. We believe our people are our most valuable resource and that’s why we propel our employees forward in their careers through ongoing education, training, and professional development.

Right Purpose

We can all serve a mission much greater than ourselves, and at Aerospace that is exactly what we do. By hiring the industry’s most preeminent scientists and engineers, Aerospace advances emerging technologies that protect some of the most critical missions on Earth and above it.

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Aerospace employees working in organizations with technical responsibilities are required to obtain a Security Clearance. U.S. citizenship is required for those positions.