# Principal Turbo Hydrodynamicist at Cowboy Space

- Company: Cowboy Space
- What the company does: Backed by a16z, Index and NEA.
- Company website: https://www.cowboyspace.com/
- Type: Startups
- Level: Principal and up
- Location: Kent, Washington
- Work setup: On-site
- Pay: $170K to $250K base salary per year (USD)
- Posted: 2026-09-15
- Apply by: 2026-10-30
- Apply: https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/cowboyspace/4c8fa279-8e1a-45a0-94b6-789a84552119
- Page: https://www.1752.vc/careers/jobs/cowboy-space-principal-turbo-hydrodynamicist/

## About the role

This is a high ownership role on a fast moving team! You will own the hydrodynamic design of the rocket engine's turbopumps: driving the engine- and vehicle-level design trades, predicting head, flow, efficiency, and suction margin across the operating box, following the hardware from concept through build, and proving its performance on the test stand. This includes inducers, impellers, diffusers and volutes, inlet and discharge flowpaths, the internal leakage and cavity flow network, and the axial thrust balance.

## What they're looking for

- Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, or related engineering field
- 12+ years of experience in turbomachinery hydrodynamic or aerodynamic design and analysis for flight hardware or high-performance rotating machinery
- Experience with pump sizing, specific speed and suction specific speed selection, blade and passage geometry definition, and material selection for pumped-fluid compatibility
- Experience with secondary flow and axial thrust analysis—leakage and cavity flow networks, balance piston, thrust piston, and wear ring sizing, seal and bearing coolant circuits, and net thrust balance across the operating box
- Hands-on experience taking rotating hardware from design through build and test
- Experience with liquid cryogenic rocket engine turbopumps or reusable propulsion systems

Tags: Launch & Propulsion Engineering