Manager, Vehicle Fluids Product

About the Team:

The Stage Fluids team designs and delivers the propellant, pressurant, pneumatics, and other fluid systems that turn structures into functioning rockets. The team has full ownership across design, production, test, and flight, maintaining a holistic view of Terran R, focused not on isolated parts but integrated functionality. Working on-site at the factory means you’re never far from the hardware, enabling rapid iteration and tight feedback loops across design and manufacturing. You won’t just be handed requirements: you’ll be expected to ask the right questions, collaborate with partners across the company, and ultimately find the best solutions for Terran R.

About the Role:

As the Vehicle Fluids Product Manager, you will be leading the team responsible for the fluid system architecture and function across the vehicle. You and your team will apply deep expertise in system architecture, complex systems operations, and fluid thermodynamics applications to guide hardware design, system analysis, manufacturing, validation and operations.

You will:

• Manage a high-performing fluids product team while aligning and executing against program milestones
• Define, scope and schedule the stage-level fluid architecture, requirements and documentation at appropriate maturity to conduct integrated testing and readiness for flight
• Lead cross-functional interface definitions and negotiations with partner vehicle teams (Propulsion/Engine, Structures, GNC, and Avionics) to ensure flawless system integration
• Set clear team goals and drive accountability
• Assist with sizing and fluid 1D steady-state thermofluids analysis at both the system and component levels when necessary to
• Define development, qualification, and acceptance testing scopes to buy down technical risk prior to vehicle-level integrated testing
• Participate in concept of Operations (CONOPS) development and operation data review to take ultimate ownership of the successful operational philosophy and testing execution of the fluid systems at the integrated vehicle level
• Mentor engineers and guide hardware owners to ensure systems meet fluid requirements

To succeed in this role, you will bring a solid foundation in fundamental physics and the ability to apply first principles thinking to complex problems. You are self-motivated, adaptable, and thrive in a fast-paced, highly integrated and collaborative vehicle development environment.

This role offers the opportunity to directly influence major engine and vehicle stage hardware while accelerating your professional growth in a culture that values collaboration, ownership, technical rigor, and calculated risk-taking.

About You:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related field and +7 years of relevant experience across at least 1 aerospace vehicle program lifecycle
• Proven experience leading high-performing engineering teams delivering successful hardware on complex, cross-functional projects
• Demonstrated mentoring and technical leadership skills
• Strong background in fluid system architecture, operations and application of engineering fundamentals in system design, thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, and heat transfer
• Proficient with one or more fluid or thermal modeling tools for internal compressible and incompressible fluid analysis
• Experience using programming languages such as Matlab, Python, or C++ for data analysis or modeling
• Direct experience designing or operating launch vehicle or spacecraft fluid or propulsion systems

Nice to haves, but not required:

• Experience with certification of a vehicle fluid system for NSSL and/or range certification