Principal Propulsion Engineer, Air Vehicles (Solid Rocket Motor Integration)
External
Anduril · Costa Mesa, CAPrepare for this interview
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About the role
The Air Dominance & Strike Propulsion Integration team is responsible for designing and integrating advanced hardware for Group 5 air vehicles and across missile platforms . Air Dominance & Strike Propulsion Engineers own the full development lifecycle, from concept generation, to integration and flight test, ensuring high-performance, resilient, and scalable mechanical systems that meet the demands of complex, contested environments.
Responsibilities
- Serve as a lead or key contributor in the selection, architecting, and integration of Solid Rocket Motors (SRMs), ignition systems, Thrust Vector Control (TVC) systems, and associated ordnance on missile platforms and air vehicles.
- Design, fabricate, and test prototype components, structural interfaces, and thrust vectoring or ignition control systems.
- Plan, instrument, and execute ground static fire, environmental, and integration tests of solid rocket propulsion systems.
- Coordinate with SRM vendors, develop strategic partnerships, and manage development projects.
- Lead or support critical hardware demonstrations with customers as needed.
- Critical member of team supporting CAD design for structural integration, motor cases, nozzles, blast tubes, and aerodynamic / structural interfaces.
- Travel to vendor sites, test sites and test ranges as needed.
- REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS (IC6- Principal)
- Bachelor's degree or higher in Mechanical, Aerospace, or Electrical Engineering.
- 15+ years of propulsion engineering experience on tactical missiles, launch vehicles, or air vehicles.
- Professional experience with Solid Rocket Motors (SRMs) for defense or aerospace applications.
- Mastery of rocket internal ballistics, performance modeling, and grain design; ability to influence SRM OEM design decisions to match vehicle requirements.
- Served as the Chief Engineer or ultimate technical authority on a major solid rocket propulsion program, defining technology roadmaps and architectural baselines.
- Experience identifying and selecting strategic SRM suppliers, managing critical OEM relationships, and establishing qualified supply chains.
- Experience defining comprehensive propulsion test programs (including static fire testing, environmental qualification, hazards classification, acceptance, flight-test readiness) and troubleshooting system-level anomalies.
- Experience advising executive leadership on technical risks, representing the company to key customers / government agencies, and mentoring mid-to-senior level engineers.
- Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance.
Requirements
- Experience in NX / Teamcenter, Python, MATLAB.
- Hands-on experience with solid rocket motor testing, including static fire test practices, instrumentation, and data processing.
- Previous work experience at a Solid Rocket Motor OEM or supplier, with a deep understanding of propellant formulation, grain geometries, and nozzle performance trade-offs.
- Knowledge and experience working with Thrust Vector Control (TVC) systems, Ignition Safety Devices (ISD / ESAD), ordnance systems, telemetry / flight termination systems, burn rate enhancers (BRE).
- Experience tailoring and conducting sensitive munition testing.
- Experience procuring parts and working in a machine shop. Working knowledge of machine safety and shop safety protocols.
- Active U.S. Top Secret security clearance.
- US Salary Range
- $253,000 - $336,000 USD
Benefits
Additional Information
Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century's most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril's family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.
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