{"id":1520742,"url":"https://alion.io/job/apex-group-lead-electric-propulsion-engineer","title":"Lead Electric Propulsion Engineer","company":{"id":8851,"name":"Apex","domain":"apexspace.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/apex","size_band":"1001-5000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Ashby","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":78,"open_postings":30,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.867,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":38,"computed_at":"2026-10-24T06:02:35Z"}},"role":"Aerospace","role_family":"Aerospace","seniority":"lead","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Los Angeles, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":156000,"max":215000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":215000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":10,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":true,"technologies":[],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-30T02:46:15Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-30","last_verified_at":"2026-10-24T21:50:15Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":24,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":24},"description":"Spacecraft represent the most pressing unmet need across the entire aerospace industry. As more launch vehicles come online and the cost to orbit decreases, more companies launching payloads to space continue to emerge.\nFor the first time in history, this influx of payload companies combined with reduced launch costs has resulted in a massive increase in need for commercial spacecraft platforms, known as satellite buses. These buses hold the payloads of our customers and are flown on launch vehicles.\nApex manufactures these satellite buses at scale using a combination of software, vertical integration, and hardware that is designed for manufacturing. Our spacecraft enable the future of society: ranging from earth observation to communications and more.\nWe’d love for you to join us on our mission of providing humankind access to the galaxy beyond our planet.\nAbout the Role\nApex is seeking a Lead Electric Propulsion Engineer to build and lead the team responsible for Apex’s electric propulsion subsystem end to end, including Hall-effect thrusters, cathodes, flow controllers, and power processing units (PPUs). You’ll own the technical direction, development, qualification, and production readiness of the EP subsystem across Apex spacecraft.\nThis is a hands-on technical and people leadership role. You’ll lead a team of propulsion engineers and technical specialists, set the EP roadmap, drive cross-component trades, and ensure the subsystem meets performance, reliability, schedule, cost, and production requirements. You’ll also serve as the primary propulsion interface across systems engineering, production, avionics, power, thermal, supply chain, quality, and program management.\nThis is an opportunity to shape and scale a complete electric propulsion capability inside a company building spacecraft for serial production.\nResponsibilities\nLead, grow, and develop Apex’s electric propulsion team, including engineers specializing in thrusters, cathodes, flow control, and PPUs.\n\nOwn the EP subsystem roadmap across Hall-effect thrusters, cathodes, flow controllers, and PPUs, aligning development with spacecraft platform and production needs.\n\nOwn EP subsystem performance, reliability, schedule, cost, and delivery of flight hardware at rate.\n\nDrive cross-component technical trades across thruster, cathode, flow control, and PPU architecture, including operating points, interfaces, margins, and requirements.\n\nSet technical standards for EP design, analysis, test, qualification, requirements, ICDs, and verification.\n\nDrive design for manufacturability and testability so propulsion hardware can be built consistently and efficiently at production scale.\n\nPartner closely with systems, avionics, power, thermal, structures, production, supply chain, quality, and program teams to resolve subsystem-level challenges.\n\nOwn EP test and qualification strategy, including vacuum facilities, diagnostics, life testing, and plans to scale test capacity.\n\nLead vendor strategy and build-vs-buy decisions for EP hardware and critical components.\n\nSupport launch campaigns, on-orbit performance evaluation, anomaly resolution, and root-cause investigations.\n\nCommunicate technical status, risks, tradeoffs, and development plans to engineering and company leadership.\n\nRequirements\nMust be a U.S. Person (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual) as defined by ITAR (22 CFR §120.15)\n\nBachelor’s degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical, plasma/propulsion engineering, applied physics, or a related field.\n\n10+ years of propulsion engineering experience with significant depth in electric propulsion.\n\nStrong technical experience with electric propulsion systems, including Hall-effect thrusters and the interfaces between thrusters, cathodes, flow control, and PPUs.\n\nDemonstrated experience leading engineers and complex technical development, whether through people management, technical leadership, or both.\n\nProven track record developing and delivering flight propulsion hardware through design, qualification, production, and on-orbit operation.\n\nStrong understanding of EP subsystem architecture, requirements, interfaces, verification, and qualification.\n\nExperience balancing technical decisions with schedule, cost, reliability, and production requirements.\n\nStrong cross-functional communication skills with the ability to represent propulsion across engineering, production, programs, and company leadership.\n\nPreferred Requirements\nMaster’s or Ph.D. focused on electric propulsion, plasma physics, or a related field.\n\nExperience building or scaling an electric propulsion team, capability, or test infrastructure.\n\nExperience transitioning propulsion hardware from development into serial or high-rate production.\n\nExperience with EP systems supporting both LEO and GEO mission profiles, including orbit raising, station keeping, and deorbit.\n\nExperience with krypton or other non-xenon electric propulsion propellants.\n\nExperience owning subsystem-level schedule, budget, and technical risk.\n\nFamiliarity with applicable range safety requirements, including SSCMAN 91-710.\n\nWhy Join Apex?\nApex believes in creating a work environment that you look forward to embracing every day. Our employees love working at Apex, and we want you to love it too. We're a fast-growing startup that has raised more than $500M in funding, and we invest heavily in our people from day one.\nWhat We Offer For Full-time Employees:\nShared upside: Receive equity in Apex, letting you benefit from the work you create\n\nBest-in-class healthcare: 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision for you and your dependents, plus $100k life insurance at no cost\n\nComprehensive PTO package: Starting at 15 days vacation, growing to 20+ days annually, plus 10 paid holidays\n\nCompetitive 401(k) plan: Generous matching - 100% match on first 3%, 50% on next 2%\n\n8 weeks paid parental leave: Plus childcare reimbursement up to $350/day for work-related travel\n\nDaily catered lunch and unlimited snacks: To keep you fueled throughout the day\n\nVibrant community: Monthly office socials, pickleball tournaments, run club, and gatherings for you and your family\n\nYour dream desk setup: All the tools you need to be your most productive self\n\nWorld-class Playa Vista office: With the benefit of in-person collaboration with amazing coworkers and flexibility to integrate work and life\n\nReal impact opportunity: Work alongside experts from aerospace, new space, and other cutting-edge industries to make a lasting difference\n\nAdditional Information:\nCompensation ranges are set by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. A candidate's specific level and base pay are determined case by case and may vary with job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities, and internal equity. Beyond base salary, full-time hires are also eligible for long-term incentives in the form of stock options, along with medical, dental, and vision coverage and a 401(k) retirement plan.\nITAR Requirements\nApex's work is governed by U.S. export control laws, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). To be eligible for this role, applicants must either (1) qualify as a U.S. Person, meaning a U.S. citizen or national, a lawful permanent resident (green card holder), a refugee admitted under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or an individual granted asylum under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or (2) be able to obtain the required export authorizations from the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Commerce, or another applicable U.S. government agency. You can learn more about ITAR here.\nEqual Opportunity Employer\nApex Technology, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Candidates and employees are always evaluated based on merit, qualifications, and performance. We will never discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status.","description_format":"text","description_chars":8209,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":10,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":true,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity","Life insurance","Parental leave","Retirement plans","Stock options"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Space & Aerospace","Satellite Manufacturing","Supply Chain"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-30T11:43:25Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":54,"band":"ok","label":"Likely open","p_open":1,"p_active":0.601,"p_room":0.9,"age_days":24,"expected_fill_days":38,"reasons":["conf:3","stale_co","velocity","win:mid","comp:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-10-24T06:02:35Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":215000,"is_top_pay":false},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/apex-group-lead-electric-propulsion-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/apex-group-lead-electric-propulsion-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-24T22:31:28Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":33074,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-25T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":8851},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=8851"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fapex-group-lead-electric-propulsion-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fapex-group-lead-electric-propulsion-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fapex-group-lead-electric-propulsion-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/apex-group-lead-electric-propulsion-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fapex-group-lead-electric-propulsion-engineer"}]}