Propulsion Engineer, Bearing Mechanical Design

Boom Supersonic’s mission is to make the world dramatically more accessible through a renaissance in supersonic flight. Boom is developing the Symphony supersonic engine, which powers the Overture supersonic airliner and the Superpower natural gas turbine for AI. Overture will fly at twice the speed of today’s subsonic jets over water and 50% faster over land with Boomless Cruise.

• Lead the design, sizing, and development of mainshaft and gearbox bearings for aero gas turbine engines, with a focus on life, load capacity, thermal behavior, and robustness under supersonic mission profiles.
• Define bearing architecture within the engine (sump layout, support arrangements, preload concepts, fits/clearances, and housings), ensuring compatibility with rotordynamic, structural, and thermal requirements across the operating envelope.
• Analyze bearing loads and environments using whole-engine rotordynamic and secondary air/oil models, ensuring appropriate margins against fatigue, skidding, smearing, cage distress, and lubrication breakdown.
• Collaborate closely with aerodynamics, structures, secondary air/oil, and test engineers to integrate bearing and sump module designs seamlessly into the Symphony propulsion system and overall aircraft installation.
• Develop and refine bearing lubrication and cooling strategies (oil supply, scavenging, jets, nozzles, heat rejection) to meet durability, efficiency, and certification-driven reliability goals.
• Define and execute bearing-focused test programs (rig, module, and engine-level), including test matrices, instrumentation needs, and acceptance criteria, to validate analytical predictions and accelerate design maturation.
• Lead failure investigations involving bearings and associated hardware (seals, sump structures, gears), driving data-based corrective actions that improve durability, reduce unplanned downtime, and protect fleet reliability.

• Deep expertise in aero gas turbine bearing technologies (ball, roller, angular contact, and damped bearing systems) with a track record of detailed design and successful deployment on flight or engine test hardware.
• Strong background in bearing analysis methods, including life/vibration/thermal assessment, internal load distribution, contact stress evaluation, and lubrication regime characterization for aviation gas turbines.
• Proficiency with bearing and rotordynamic simulation tools (e.g., Romax, SKF/Timken tools, XLTRC2/MADYN or similar), used to derive bearing loads, stiffness/damping characteristics, and stability margins.
• Proven ability to lead cross-disciplinary propulsion teams around bearing-centric work scopes, from concept and trade studies through detailed design, supplier engagement, rig/engine test, and certification support.
• Adept at troubleshooting bearing-related issues in test or service (e.g., elevated temperatures, vibration signatures, debris indications, cage/liner wear, spalling), and implementing robust design or operational mitigations.
• Experience with whole-engine structural, thermal, and secondary air/oil modeling in an aviation gas turbine context, with a clear understanding of how these models define the bearing operating environment and margins.

• Primary engineering ownership of mainshaft or gearbox bearing systems on a turbofan, turbojet, turboshaft, or APU program, including responsibility for requirements, design, analysis, and qualification.
• Demonstrated experience developing or qualifying advanced bearing technologies for aerospace (e.g., hybrid ceramic bearings, specialized coatings, squeeze-film dampers, or integrated damped supports).
• History of introducing new bearing analysis methods, design standards, or test approaches that materially reduced development time or improved durability for gas turbine rotating hardware.
• Strong first-principles analytical skills applied specifically to bearing and sump module challenges, coupled with a passion for solving complex durability and reliability problems in aviation propulsion.
• Direct involvement in FAR Part 33 (and/or CS-E) engine certification activities where bearing performance, life, or rotordynamics were key aspects of the compliance narrative.
• Experience with bearing supply chain and procurement for flight hardware, including writing technical specifications, evaluating vendor designs, supporting qualification plans, and maintaining strategic relationships with major bearing suppliers.
• Curiosity and drive to push the state of the art in bearing technology for next-generation supersonic and high-performance aero gas turbines.

To conform to U.S. Government aerospace technology export regulations (ITAR and EAR), applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here.

Boom is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need. 

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