{"id":1749569,"url":"https://alion.io/job/darwin-recruitment-senior-launch-automation-engineer","title":"Senior Launch Automation Engineer","company":{"id":2211481,"name":"Darwin Recruitment","domain":"darwinrecruitment.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/darwinrecruitment","size_band":null,"is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":null,"truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":75,"open_postings":8,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":1,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":null,"computed_at":"2026-10-22T06:10:10Z"}},"role":"DevOps","role_family":"DevOps","seniority":"senior","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"inferred","locations":[],"countries":[],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":140000,"max":180000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":180000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"CI/CD","optional":false},{"name":"MATLAB","optional":false},{"name":"Simscape","optional":false},{"name":"Simulink","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-08-04T00:00:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-20","last_verified_at":"2026-10-03T16:17:12Z","board_verified":false,"closed_at":null,"days_open":79,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":79},"description":"Senior Launch Automation Engineer\nSan Francisco, California | $140,000 to $180,000\nOnce the engines light, there is no second chance.\nEverything that chills, fills and pressurises a rocket has to work first time, every time. That is what this role owns. You will build the models, design the controllers and write the automation that takes a vehicle from propellant loading through terminal count to liftoff.\nWe are hiring a Senior Launch Automation Engineer for a launch company in San Francisco. They have already flown. That matters, because the rookie mistakes most launch startups are still making have already been made, learned from and fixed here. Hardware is being built and hot fired on a regular basis, and launch cadence is climbing from frequent testing towards frequent operations.\nWhat you will own\nModel the fluid, cryogenic and pneumatic systems that fuel and pressurise the vehicle, including propellant loading, tank pressurisation and two phase flow\nSize and specify volumes with the hardware team so the physical system matches the model\nDesign the control loops and automation sequences that run countdown operations\nBuild test automation across Simulink simulation, hardware in the loop rigs and CI/CD pipelines\nWork with propulsion, avionics and GNC on interfaces and system requirements\nSupport countdown from mission control, watching fluid systems and reacting to anomalies live\nUse ground test and flight data to validate models and improve fidelity\nWhat you will need\n5+ years modelling and controlling physical systems, ideally fluid and thermal\nStrong MATLAB, Simulink and Simscape for physical system modelling\nSolid grounding in fluid dynamics, thermodynamics and process control, including mass and energy balances and control loop design\nAn advanced degree in chemical, mechanical or aerospace engineering, physics, or equivalent experience\nClear communication, useful technical feedback, and the willingness to mentor\nComfort in a fast moving, self directed environment where you set your own priorities\nNice to have\nCryogenics, two phase flow or hazardous and high pressure fluid systems\nChemical or process engineering, or propulsion background\nLaunch vehicle ground support equipment (GSE) or propulsion test stand experience\nHardware in the loop simulation and real time integration\nVerification through unit tests, SIL, HIL and Monte Carlo\nWho tends to do well here\nProcess and chemical engineers with strong modelling skills who want to point them at spaceflight. Controls engineers who love physical system simulation and want their models running real launch sequences. Propulsion test engineers who have modelled engine or test stand fluids. Aerospace engineers with a thermal and fluids focus who want their hands on hardware.\nThis is a senior individual contributor role on a small team, so your work is visible and your decisions stick. It is 100% launcher focused and will stay that way.\nApply\nSend your resume through this advert and we will come back to you with the full company details and hiring process. Darwin Space is a specialist space industry recruitment firm. All applications are treated in confidence.\nDarwin Recruitment is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.\nAdam Slade","description_format":"text","description_chars":3257,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Biotechnology","Recruiting & Staffing","Employer of Record & PEO"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-03T07:59:00Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":6,"band":"cold","label":"Long shot","p_open":0.4,"p_active":0.559,"p_room":0.28,"age_days":79,"expected_fill_days":27,"reasons":["conf:445","urgency","velocity","win:tail","crowd:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-10-22T06:10:10Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":180000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/darwin-recruitment-senior-launch-automation-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/darwin-recruitment-senior-launch-automation-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-22T07:04:54Z","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":2475,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-23T00:00:00Z"}},"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":2211481},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=2211481"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fdarwin-recruitment-senior-launch-automation-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%2Fdarwin-recruitment-senior-launch-automation-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%2Fdarwin-recruitment-senior-launch-automation-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/darwin-recruitment-senior-launch-automation-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fdarwin-recruitment-senior-launch-automation-engineer"}]}