Chief Engineer, Hypersonic Missiles & Interceptors

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

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited PTO

Parental leave

Medical Insurance

401k with company match

Equity grants

Job summary

Ursa Major is seeking a Chief Engineer, Hypersonic Missile & Interceptor to serve as the technical authority for the Draper Engine Hypersonic program. You will own the end-to-end vehicle technical baseline and ensure integration of propulsion, structures, avionics, GNC, thermal, and mission systems into a flight-ready, scalable vehicle solution.

You will lead cross-disciplinary systems engineering, chair SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, and FRR, and mentor subsystems leads while partnering with Program

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering (Master’s/PhD preferred).
• 12+ years in aerospace vehicle development with system-level ownership.
• Experience as Chief Engineer, Lead Systems Engineer, or Vehicle Architect on flight/missile systems.
• Strong ability to communicate complex decisions to executives and customers.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and manage changing priorities.

Responsibilities

• Own and maintain vehicle system architecture and configuration.
• Serve as final technical authority for design trades and risk acceptance.
• Ensure propulsion integration with margins and interfaces.
• Lead vehicle-level systems engineering, including V&V and interface control.
• Chair SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, and FRR technical reviews.
• Partner with PM to balance performance, cost, schedule, and risk.
• Identify risks early and lead mitigation through tests or design iterations.
• Define and approve vehicle-level test strategies and flight readiness.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to subsystem leads.

Skills

Leadership & mentorship

Written and verbal communication

Systems engineering leadership

Decision making under pressure

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering

Master’s or PhD strongly preferred

Job description

Ursa Major is seeking a Chief Engineer, Hypersonic Missile & Interceptor to serve as the technical authority for the Draper Engine Hypersonic program. You will own the end-to-end vehicle technical baseline and ensure integration of propulsion, structures, avionics, GNC, thermal, and mission systems into a flight-ready, scalable vehicle solution.

You will lead cross-disciplinary systems engineering, chair SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, and FRR, and mentor subsystems leads while partnering with Program