Senior Mechanical Engineer, Thermal Protection Systems

About Canopy Aerospace & Defense

Canopy A&D is built to accelerate the future of advanced materials for space, defense, and maritime systems. Canopy delivers specialized materials and components that carry customers from concept through sustainment. Canopy A&D’s advanced signal attenuation technologies and production-scale manufacturing accelerate the fielding of platforms that are faster, cooler, and quieter. Our adaptive approach ensures solutions evolve at the pace of shifting challenges, keeping our customers ahead of the curve.

• Execute end-to-end ownership of TPS components and subassemblies, from initial requirements definition through final hardware delivery.
• Own and drive material trade studies that balance thermal survivability, structural integrity, and manufacturing realities for hypersonic regimes.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with aerothermal, design, materials, and test groups to translate heat flux and aero loads into robust mechanical designs.
• Develop detailed CAD, drawings, ICD’s, interface directly with the manufacturing floor, and ensure parts are built to spec.
• Support rigorous testing campaigns such as arc-jet, rapidly perform raw data reduction, and draw actionable conclusions to iterate designs based on empirical data.
• Serve as the resident SME in the TPS space, maintaining robust knowledge of current state-of-the-art and next-generation technologies.
• Lead technical sections of proposals and new products that enhance the organization's technical capabilities and support strategic defense growth objectives.

• 4+ years of direct, verifiable experience designing and owning TPS components or assemblies qualified through flight or high-enthalpy testing (e.g., arc-jet facilities such as NASA Ames, AEDC).
• Comprehensive knowledge of TPS materials and architectures, including thermal blankets, ablative carbon composites, rigid ceramics, and cryogenic insulation for re-entry and hypersonic environments.
• Full lifecycle design experience taking hardware from concept through manufacturing, including 3D CAD modeling, drawing release, and GD&T application.
• Strong technical foundation in structural mechanics, materials science, thermodynamics, heat transfer, and ablation mechanics.
• Demonstrated track record of delivering hardware on accelerated schedules through pragmatic, creative engineering solutions.
• Strong interdisciplinary communication skills, with the ability to clearly convey complex technical concepts across cross-functional teams.
• U.S. Security Clearance Eligibility:
  Active Secret clearance (or higher), or the ability to obtain and maintain one, including meeting U.S. government background and export-control requirements

• Graduate degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Materials Science, or a related technical field.
• Flight Heritage:
  
  Direct ownership of a TPS system that successfully operated and survived in a flight environment.
• Systems
  
  Experience:
  
  Direct experience working on the design, test, or integration of re-entry systems, launch vehicles, or hypersonic platforms.
• Programmatic Acumen:
  
  Experience planning and estimating complex projects, constructing bids and Basis of Estimates (BOEs), and developing technical schedules that were successfully executed.
• Business Development:
  
  Proven track record of writing and winning IRAD and/or CRAD proposals.
• Customer Facing:
  
  Experience interfacing directly with government (DoW, NASA) and commercial customers to define requirements and deliver technical updates.
• Supply Chain Command:
  
  Experience and high comfort level interfacing with, auditing, and managing suppliers specifically within the TPS and advanced materials space.
• Strong background operating within the…