Orion Thermal Protection System; TPS Engineer

Overview

Are you inspired by human space exploration and passionate about pushing the boundaries of technology to benefit both space missions and life on Earth? Join our diverse and highly collaborative team as we tackle NASA’s deep space exploration challenges. At ERC, NASA’s largest engineering solutions provider, we partner with NASA centers across the United States to deliver cutting‑edge engineering support for mission‑critical programs.

Orion Thermal Protection System (TPS) Engineer

NASA Johnson Space Center

Full Time

Background check & U.S. Citizenship required

• Lead subsystem management for the Orion Heat shield, including certification planning, testing, and build oversight.
• Oversee the development of thermal models, stress analyses, and test techniques to ensure successful heat shield certification.
• Evaluate proposed designs and specifications for Avcoat blocks, identifying deficiencies and recommending alternative approaches to meet technical and safety requirements.
• Direct thermal analysis and test efforts performed by NASA civil servants and contractors across multiple centers.
• Assess all heat shield‑related hardware designs and supporting data at critical design and hardware acceptance reviews.
• Coordinate material property testing to support thermal and mechanical model development, delivering ablative thermal material models to Lockheed Martin for thermal sizing.
• Define and manage test plans for arc jet and radiant heat shield test programs.
• Provide on‑site technical expertise for block bonding and gap filling operations at Kennedy Space Center.
• Compile certification evidence, track verification completion, and develop certification of flight readiness statements.
• Provide status and update reports to the Organization Chief and to Directorate management.
• Provide technical authority and consultation on Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) system design, testing, and analysis to programs across NASA.
• Develop strategies for advancing EDL technologies for current and future exploration spacecraft.
• Lead technical meetings, represent the organization at conferences, and build partnerships with industry, government agencies, and universities.
• Mentor junior engineers, interns, and academic researchers in EDL systems analysis and testing.
• Advise management on priorities, feasibility, and risks of EDL technology development projects.
• Propose and develop innovative concepts in collaboration with industry and government partners to advance state‑of‑the‑art EDL technology.

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering from an accredited engineering school.
• Minimum of 5 years of engineering analysis experience related to thermal control systems.
• Experience working with complex, vehicle‑level models with multiple system interactions.
• Excellent technical writing skills and the ability to use data to draw conclusions and support the conclusions when challenged.

• Experience with developing and reviewing simulation models of spacecraft hardware and systems at varying levels of fidelity ranging from detailed, first‑principle models to more descriptive lumped‑parameter models.
• Experience with flight hardware test plan development and execution.
• Experience with requirements definition and validation of space flight hardware.
• Knowledge of programming in one or more of the following:
  Python or MATLAB.