Chief Engineer, Hypersonic Missile & Interceptor

Ursa Major; Berthoud (CO); On-site; USD 175,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited PTO

Paid parental leave

Medical, dental and vision insurance

401k with company match

Equity grants

EAP program

Retirement savings plan

Job summary

Ursa Major seeks a Chief Engineer to own the Draper Engine Vehicle architecture and lead end-to-end development, from requirements to flight readiness. You will guide propulsion, structures, GNC, avionics, and thermal teams, ensuring robust system integration and rigorous reviews on aggressive schedules.

You will mentor engineers, drive technical decisions with executive leadership, and partner with PM and business development to balance cost, schedule, and risk in a fast-paced defense

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field (Master’s or PhD strongly preferred).
• 12+ years of experience in aerospace vehicle development, including system-level ownership.
• Prior experience as Chief Engineer, Lead Systems Engineer, or Vehicle Architect on a flight vehicle or missile system.
• Deep understanding of propulsion integration, vehicle dynamics, and system trades.
• Experience leading vehicles through design reviews, test campaigns, and flight readiness.
• Ability to communicate complex technical decisions to executive leadership and customers.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and adapt to customer demands and company priorities.

Responsibilities

• Own and maintain the vehicle system architecture, technical baseline, and configuration for the Draper Engine Vehicle.
• Serve as final technical decision authority for design trades, requirements allocation, and risk acceptance.
• Ensure propulsion is fully integrated into the vehicle with proper margins and interfaces.
• Lead vehicle-level systems engineering including requirements flow-down, interface control, V&V, and configuration management.
• Chair technical reviews such as SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, and FRR.
• Partner with Program Management to balance performance, cost, schedule, and risk.
• Support proposals, TIMs, and design reviews with government and commercial customers.
• Identify technical risks early and drive mitigation through test, analysis or design iteration.
• Define and approve vehicle-level test strategies for ground testing, qualification, and flight readiness.
• Provide technical sign-off for vehicle readiness and flight authorization.
• Mentor subsystem leads and senior engineers; foster engineering rigor and rapid execution.

Skills

Aerospace vehicle development

Propulsion integration

System architecture

V&V planning

Leadership

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering

Master's degree (preferred)

PhD (preferred)

Job description

Ursa Major seeks a Chief Engineer to own the Draper Engine Vehicle architecture and lead end-to-end development, from requirements to flight readiness. You will guide propulsion, structures, GNC, avionics, and thermal teams, ensuring robust system integration and rigorous reviews on aggressive schedules.

You will mentor engineers, drive technical decisions with executive leadership, and partner with PM and business development to balance cost, schedule, and risk in a fast-paced defense