Propellant & Rocket Motor Specialist (Lab to Production)

DefendTex; Lang Lang; On-site; AUD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive remuneration

National-first facility

Leadership opportunities

Job summary

DefendTex is seeking a Propellant / Rocket Motor Specialist to act as the technical authority on formulation and small-scale motor development. You will lead lab and pilot-scale trials, develop predictive models and translate findings into production-ready processes.

You will mentor scientists, collaborate with QA, HSE and operations, and ensure regulatory compliance while supporting scale-up and testing activities at our Victoria facility.

Qualifications

• Essential: BSc or MSc in Chemistry, Polymer Science, Chemical Engineering or closely related discipline.
• Experience formulating rocket propellants or energetic compositions (composite and/or double-base).
• Practical experience with lab and pilot-scale mixing, casting/bonding or processing methods.
• Experience in modelling or simulation of internal ballistics, burn rates or related performance metrics.
• Strong record keeping, data analysis and technical reporting skills.
• Explosives safety training desirable; strong commitment to explosives handling safety.
• Eligible to obtain and maintain an Australian Explosives License and Australian Defence Security Clearance.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and optimisation of composite and double-base propellant formulations.
• Design and execute lab and pilot-scale formulation trials; translate results to production processes.
• Develop and validate internal ballistics and ageing models; conduct simulation and performance prediction.
• Define ingredient specifications, batch records and safe material handling protocols.
• Support process scale-up, plant commissioning and handover to production.
• Plan and support static-fire testing, analyse results and close technical actions.
• Maintain detailed, auditable technical documentation and safety cases.
• Mentor junior scientists and technicians; promote best practice in explosives safety and record keeping.
• Collaborate with engineering, QA, HSE and operations to ensure producibility and regulatory compliance.

Education

BSc or MSc in Chemistry, Polymer Science, Chemical Engineering

Tools

MATLAB

Internal ballistics tools

Job description

DefendTex is seeking a Propellant / Rocket Motor Specialist to act as the technical authority on formulation and small-scale motor development. You will lead lab and pilot-scale trials, develop predictive models and translate findings into production-ready processes.

You will mentor scientists, collaborate with QA, HSE and operations, and ensure regulatory compliance while supporting scale-up and testing activities at our Victoria facility.