Senior Propulsion Engineer, Analysis

Job description

About the Role: We are seeking a Senior Solid Rocket Motor Engineer with expertise in propulsion system design and structural analysis. This is a senior individual contributor role with expectations for technical leadership, program ownership, and mentorship of junior engineers. The successful candidate will play a critical role in ensuring that propulsion components and assemblies meet rigorous performance, safety, reliability, and regulatory requirements while optimizing for weight, efficiency, and durability for interceptor, and munitions propulsion programs. This role demands hands-on laboratory and production floor presence combined with the analytical rigor to own ballistic performance prediction and validation end-to-end. Key Responsibilities : Tactical Interior Ballistics & Performance Modeling Ballistic performance modeling for tactical motor configurations including boost, sustain, and dual-thrust grain geometries common to surface-to-air, air-to-air, and ground-launched systems. Develop and validate predictive models in SPP, CLWire, or equivalent tools, correlating strand burner and subscale motor data to full-scale performance with confidence bounds. Characterize and model burn rate pressure exponent, temperature sensitivity, and erosive burning behavior under the wide operating temperature ranges (-65°F to +160°F) required of tactical systems. Lead ballistic anomaly investigations and author formal disposition packages. Participate in motor performance margin analysis and support trade studies during proposal and PDR/CDR phases. Structural Analysis Perform advanced structural and thermal analyses using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) tools (e.g., ANSYS, Abaqus, NASTRAN) to evaluate stress, strain, fatigue, vibration, buckling, and thermal loads under extreme operating conditions. Testing, Characterization & Data Ownership Design and execute comprehensive characterization programs covering mechanical properties (JANNAF strain invariant failure theory, uniaxial tensile, stress relaxation), burn rate (Crawford bomb, strand burner), and aging (HTPB hydrolysis, AP recrystallization, surveillance coupon programs). Analyze and interpret test data with statistical rigor, author technical reports, and present findings to program leadership and government customers. Serve as the technical point of contact for propellant-related CDRLs and data submittals. Technical Leadership & Mentorship Provide day-to-day technical guidance to junior and mid-level propellant engineers. Review and approve formulation and process documentation. Represent the team in integrated product team (IPT) settings and customer technical interchange meetings (TIMs). Contribute to IRAD initiatives, white papers, and proposal technical volumes. Help define and maintain the organization’s composite propellant technology roadmap. Assist with manufacturing and quality improvement processes. Assist with facility design an build out where expertise is relevant. Safety & Regulatory Compliance Serve as a senior resource for explosive safety compliance. Lead or support PHA, FMEA, and FTA activities for new propellant formulations and processing operations. Maintain awareness of ESD controls, friction/impact sensitivity protocols, and cook-off behavior relevant to tactical motor environments. Participate in or lead mishap investigations and corrective action boards as required. Required Qualifications • B.S. in Mechanical, Chemical, or Aerospace Engineering, or closely related field • 5+ years of progressive experience in propulsion design, propulsion manufacturing, performance characterization, with a minimum of 2 years focused on composite propellant systems for tactical applications • Demonstrated technical authority on at least one tactical motor development or qualification program from formulation through full-scale testing • Experience with knowledge of additive manufacturing and its application to propulsion components. • Proficiency in CFD tools (ANSYS Fluent, STAR-CCM+) for coupled fluid-structural analysis. • Experience with solid rocket motor MIL-SPEC standards, STANAG 4170, and DoD explosive safety regulations • Familiarity with MATLAB, Python, or equivalent for data reduction and statistical analysis ITAR To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C.1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C.1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. About The Company We are a stealth-mode Aerospace & Defense startup headquartered in Gardena, CA. Our founding team hails from SpaceX, Anduril, and Lockheed Martin, and we are backed by Joint Staff-level military leadership and several Silicon Valley firms. With a world-class business development & leadership team already in place, we are well positioned to capitalize on already overwhelming demand.