Lead Materials & Process Engineer — Solid Rocket Motors

Anduril Industries; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 126,000 - 167,000; Full time

Job summary

Anduril Industries in Costa Mesa, CA seeks an experienced Materials and Process Engineer to build the M&P infrastructure for RMS, transforming tribal knowledge into robust, configuration-controlled specifications. You will develop material and process specifications, test procedures, and design allowables while supporting multiple programs across production, prototypes, and flight hardware.

The role demands hands-on aerospace materials expertise, strong documentation skills, and the ability

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field.
• 5+ years of materials and process engineering experience in aerospace, propulsion, or defense applications.
• Proven experience developing material specifications and process specifications for production programs.
• Strong technical background in multiple areas such as high-temperature coatings, TPS components, propellant materials, adhesives.
• Experience with material characterization, testing, and documentation.
• Strong technical writing skills and attention to detail.
• Experience troubleshooting manufacturing processes and leading root cause investigations; ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to obtain and hold a U.S. Top Secret security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain Material Specifications for raw materials, components, and assemblies containing polymeric constituents across all RMS systems including propellants, cases (metal and composite), ablatives, insulators, adhesives, coatings, and nozzle materials
• Create Process Specifications for manufacturing operations including propellant processing, ablative component manufacturing, insulation/liner bonding and surface preparation, heat treatment, coating application, and final assembly processes
• Develop Standard Acceptance Test Procedures and NDI technique sheets for incoming materials, in-process inspection, and finished hardware (FTIR, Raman, X-ray, CT scan, ultrasonic, radiography)
• Review and standardize existing work instructions into formal, configuration-controlled specifications with clearly defined process windows and acceptance criteria
• Serve as subject matter expert for polymeric materials selection, processing, and qualification across solid rocket motor systems including propellants, cases, thermal protection systems (elastomeric, rubber and composite insulation/liners), nozzles, igniters, and other energetic components
• Lead materials characterization programs including mechanical testing, thermal analysis, rheology, cure kinetics, and ablation performance evaluation; develop design allowables per industry standards (CMH-17, JANNAF)
• Provide materials and process expertise to Design and Manufacturing teams; review drawings and manufacturing plans, support design reviews, and troubleshoot production issues
• Drive material and process qualifications from development through production readiness; manage supplier technical relationships and qualification activities
• Lead failure investigations and root cause analyses for material-related anomalies; participate in MRBs, FRBs, ERBs, and PCBs
• Interface with engineering, manufacturing, quality, and program teams to translate mission requirements into robust material and process solutions
• Drive cost reduction and cycle time improvement initiatives to enable high-rate production
• Mentor junior engineers and prepare technical documentation including specifications, test reports, and presentations

Skills

Materials engineering

Process engineering

Technical writing

Security clearance

Documentation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field

Tools

NDI techniques

Material characterization

Job description

Anduril Industries in Costa Mesa, CA seeks an experienced Materials and Process Engineer to build the M&P infrastructure for RMS, transforming tribal knowledge into robust, configuration-controlled specifications. You will develop material and process specifications, test procedures, and design allowables while supporting multiple programs across production, prototypes, and flight hardware.

The role demands hands-on aerospace materials expertise, strong documentation skills, and the ability