Lead Vehicle Design Engineer

The Role:

Helogen is seeking a Lead Vehicle Design Engineer (Atmospheric Flight) in Austin, Texas to design, develop, and deliver advanced aerospace systems from concept through flight. You’ll be joining a small team of high-caliber engineers, scientists, and operators united by the belief that the microgravity environment of space represents one of the greatest untapped opportunities in the history of medicine and industry.

We value execution over perfection, clarity over complexity, and ownership over hand holding. We move quickly, learn fast, and adapt as the company evolves.

In this role, you'll own vehicle systems and technical projects while contributing to overall vehicle architecture and system performance. You'll work across structures, thermal systems, avionics, manufacturing, testing, and operations to solve complex engineering challenges and deliver flight‑ready hardware.

This role is ideal for a builder who thinks at the vehicle level, can rapidly evaluate tradeoffs, make sound technical decisions with incomplete information, and drive progress in a fast‑paced development environment. As an early member of the engineering team, you'll have significant influence over technical direction, engineering culture, and the foundational systems that will power Helogen's long‑term mission.

• Design, develop, and deliver advanced aerospace systems from concept through flight
• Own technical projects and subsystems while contributing to overall vehicle architecture and system performance
• Perform engineering trades involving structures, thermal systems, avionics, flight dynamics, manufacturing, testing, and operations
• Develop requirements, interface definitions, analysis plans, and verification approaches
• Lead hardware design, prototyping, integration, and qualification activities
• Work closely with cross‑functional teams to solve complex multidisciplinary engineering challenges
• Contribute to vehicle‑level design reviews and technical decision‑making
• Support supplier engagement, manufacturing activities, and hardware build efforts
• Participate in testing, mission preparation, flight operations, and post‑flight analysis
• Drive decision making in ambiguous environments
• Help shape engineering culture, processes, and technical standards as the organization grows

• Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Robotics, or a related technical field
• Experience developing complex hardware, aerospace systems, spacecraft, launch vehicles, autonomous systems, robotics, or other highly integrated engineering products through design, development, testing, and deployment
• Vehicle level thinker who considers structures, thermal systems, manufacturing challenges, testing, and operations
• Advanced engineering fundamentals and first‑principles problem‑solving abilities
• Strong systems‑thinking capabilities and the ability to evaluate tradeoffs across multiple engineering disciplines
• Experience with engineering analysis, design tools, simulation environments, or hardware development workflows relevant to your area of expertise
• Ability to solve challenging technical problems from definition through execution
• Sound engineering judgment; can make quick technical decisions in ambiguous or rapidly evolving environments
• Strong work ethic, with a willingness to support accelerated development schedules during critical testing and launch campaigns
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills

• Aerospace, defense, robotics, automotive, energy, or other high‑performance engineering industries
• Flight hardware, spacecraft, launch vehicles, atmospheric flight systems, autonomous systems, or advanced manufacturing platforms
• Hardware development in fast‑paced or resource‑constrained environments
• Systems engineering, testing, integration, or vehicle development activities
• Rapid prototyping, design iteration, and hardware qualification
• Startup experience or experience building new products from the ground up
• Experience working across multiple engineering disciplines

The salary range for this position is $170,000-$185,000 with equity offered. Qualified candidates must be based in Austin, Texas or willing to relocate there.

• Unlimited PTO
• Health, dental, vision and life insurance
• 401(k) program
• Membership to One Medical
• Be part of creating something new that will change the world

Due to the nature of the work performed, applicants must be a U.S. Person as defined by U.S. export control regulations or otherwise eligible to access export‑controlled information and technology.
* U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident, or protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) (i.e., individual admitted to the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum in the U.S.)