Description
Design, develop, and test propulsion systems for aircraft and spacecraft, including gas turbines, rocket engines, and electric propulsion. Conduct research on materials, fuels, and components to improve performance, reliability, and efficiency. Recommend enhancements to test facilities, instrumentation, and methods.
- • Direct or coordinate activities of engineering or technical personnel involved in designing, fabricating, modifying, or testing propulsion systems and components.
- • Plan or conduct performance, endurance, environmental, and stress tests on engines, thrusters, turbomachinery, and propulsion subsystems.
- • Formulate mathematical models and computer analyses (e.g., cycle, CFD, combustion) to design, evaluate, or optimize propulsion systems to requirements.
- • Write test plans, technical reports, and design documentation for propulsion hardware and software.
- • Analyze propulsion project requests and data to determine feasibility, manufacturability, cost, risk, and schedule.
- • Evaluate and approve vendors for propulsion components, materials, instrumentation, and test services.
- • Plan or coordinate investigation and resolution of field or test anomalies related to engines, fuel systems, or thrust performance.
- • Maintain propulsion performance databases, test logs, and configuration records.
- • Design or modify propulsion systems to reduce emissions (NOx, CO, smoke) and meet noise and environmental regulations.
- • Design fuel-air mixing, combustors, or exhaust systems to reduce harmful emissions.
- • Evaluate sustainable aviation fuels and alternative propellants for performance and compatibility in propulsion applications.
- • Formulate conceptual designs of engines, thrusters, and propulsion architectures to meet mission and regulatory requirements.
- • Evaluate inspection and test data for propulsion hardware for conformance to engineering principles, customer requirements, environmental regulations, and quality standards.
- • Develop propulsion design criteria, test methods, performance targets, production costs, quality metrics, environmental and safety standards, and schedules.
- • Diagnose propulsion performance problems by reviewing telemetry, test data, or field reports and by inspecting malfunctioning hardware.
- • Direct propulsion research and development programs in turbomachinery, combustion, electric propulsion, or cryogenic systems.
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Advanced Manufacturing
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Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
