Energetic Materials Engineer, Solid Propellant

Furientis; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Furientis is seeking a chemist or chemical engineer to own composite propellant formulation at our Los Angeles HQ. The ideal candidate will have 5+ years in composite propellant development, focusing on cost-effective chemistry. You will lead formulation, manage mix processes, and ensure compliance with safety standards.

This hands-on role demands expertise in ingredient sourcing and characterizing propellant properties. Join us in solving critical challenges in U.S. defense production.

Qualifications

• 5+ years hands-on composite-propellant formulation and mix process development.
• Fluency with HTPB, AP, aluminum, curative and bonding agent chemistry.
• Real working network of composite-propellant ingredient suppliers.

Responsibilities

• Own propellant formulation including composition tradeoffs and ingredient selection.
• Develop the mix and cure process focusing on technical qualifications.
• Characterize each formulation for burn rate, density, and mechanical properties.

Skills

Composite propellant formulation

Mix process development

Ingredient sourcing

Mechanical property testing

Education

B.S. or M.S. in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science

Tools

Vertical and planetary mixers

Thermochemistry codes

Job description

America is critically deficient in production of defensive munitions- we currently produce shipborne interceptors in the few hundreds per year while our adversaries are producing offensive threats in the tens of thousands per year. Furientis was started to help solve this problem- introducing a new class of cost-effective, high production rate, interceptor missiles. We're seeking motivated individuals who internalize this problem and are eager to apply their past experience in similar industries (aerospace, defense, automotive/racing, robotics) and out of the box thinking to solve this problem for the US and its allies.

About the Team

The Propulsion Team designs, builds, and flies the solid rocket motors that power our interceptor. We own the chemistry, the motor and grain design, the ground test campaigns, and the range operations.

About the Role

We are looking for a chemist or chemical engineer who will own our composite propellant: formulation, mix and cure process, ingredient sourcing, and characterization. You will report to the Head of Propulsion.

This is a hands-on role for someone who has already taken a composite propellant from formulation through motor flight or qualification, and who prefers cheap, well-understood chemistry to high-energy energetics or one-source materials.

Every formulation choice is also a unit-cost choice, and we expect you to design accordingly.

What You'll Do

• Own propellant formulation: composition tradeoffs, ingredient selection, and the cost-vs-performance calls that go with both.
• Develop the mix and cure process: vacuum mix profile, ingredient addition order, cure schedule, pot life.
• Source and technically qualify ingredients across the propellant supplier base. The Head of Supply Chain owns commercial terms.
• Characterize each formulation: burn rate at temperature, pressure exponent, density, mechanical properties, strain-to-failure, aging.
• Match propellant properties to motor architecture with the development engineer.
• Design the dual-pulse chemistry: pulse-1 and pulse-2 composition selection, mechanical and thermal compatibility, interpulse barrier interaction.
• Write the mix SOPs and qualification documentation.
• Own the chemistry side of facility safety and compliance: storage planning, hazardous-materials handling, ATF and AHJ documentation.

Skills We're Hiring For

• B.S. or M.S. in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or related.
• 5+ years hands-on composite-propellant formulation and mix process development. At least one propellant where you carried it from formulation through motor flight or qualification.
• Fluency with HTPB, AP, aluminum, curative, plasticizer, and bonding agent chemistry: ingredient interactions, cure mechanisms, mechanical property tradeoffs.
• Hands-on mix experience: vertical and planetary mixers, vacuum mixing, cast and cure cycle development.
• Working fluency with thermochemistry codes for predicting Isp, flame temperature, c*, and product species across a composition range.
• Hands-on burn rate measurement: strand burner, pressure exponent, temperature sensitivity.
• Mechanical property testing of cured propellant: uniaxial tensile, modulus, strain-to-failure across operating temperature.
• Real working network of composite-propellant ingredient suppliers across AP, HTPB, aluminum, and curative families.
• A real track record of meeting motor performance without reaching for exotic chemistry or one-source materials. No high-energy oxidizers, no nano-aluminum, no exotic binders.
• AI-native working style: daily use of agentic coding tools (Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, or similar) for formulation tradeoff scripting, thermochemistry runs, and characterization data reduction.

Bonus Points For

• Direct dual-pulse propellant development.
• Aging and shelf-life qualification experience.
• Stood up a propellant mix facility from scratch.
• ATF, OSHA PSM, and EPA compliance experience for energetic-materials operations.
• Burn rate modifier and ballistic modifier formulation work.
• Out-of-domain chemistry background that gives you practical, first-principles intuition (polymer chemistry, battery formulation, hazardous-process work). We actively want people who can solve propellant problems without dragging legacy-prime habits with them.

Eligibility & Logistics

Location: On-site at our Los Angeles, CA HQ; remote work is not available. Monthly weekend travel for test events and supplier engagements. Clearance: A clearance is not required for this position. Must be a U.S. Person.

Equal Opportunity & Export Compliance

Furientis is an equal-opportunity employer. To comply with U.S. export control laws, employment is contingent on eligibility to access export-controlled information.