Principal Propulsion Engineer, Air Vehicles (Solid Rocket Motor Integration)

Anduril Industries; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 253,000 - 336,000; Full time

Job summary

Anduril Industries in Costa Mesa, CA is seeking an Experienced Propulsion Engineer to lead the selection, design, and integration of solid rocket motor systems for advanced missiles and air vehicles.

You will plan and execute static fire tests, coordinate with SRM vendors, and mentor engineers while shaping propulsion technology roadmaps and critical OEM relationships.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Mechanical, Aerospace, or Electrical Engineering required.
• 15+ years of propulsion engineering experience on tactical missiles, launch vehicles, or air vehicles required.
• Solid Rocket Motors (SRMs) experience for defense or aerospace applications required.
• Experience defining propulsion test programs and hazards classifications.
• Experience managing OEM relationships and supply chains.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a lead or key contributor in selection, architecture, and integration of SRMs and associated systems on missiles and air vehicles.
• Design, fabricate, and test prototype components, interfaces, and thrust vectoring or ignition control systems.
• Plan, instrument, and execute ground static fire, environmental, and integration tests of propulsion systems.
• Coordinate with SRM vendors and manage development projects.
• Lead or support hardware demonstrations with customers as needed.
• Contribute to CAD design for structural interfaces, motor cases, nozzles, blast tubes, and interfaces.
• Travel to vendor sites, test sites and ranges as needed.

Skills

SRM propulsion

CAD design

Vendor management

System integration

Team leadership

Test planning

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher in Mechanical, Aerospace, or Electrical Engineering

Tools

NX/Teamcenter

Python

MATLAB

Job description

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century’s most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril’s family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.

About The Team

The Air Dominance & Strike Propulsion Integration team is responsible for designing and integrating advanced hardware for Group 5 air vehicles and across missile platforms. Air Dominance & Strike Propulsion Engineers own the full development lifecycle, from concept generation, to integration and flight test, ensuring high-performance, resilient, and scalable mechanical systems that meet the demands of complex, contested environments.

What You’ll Do

• Serve as a lead or key contributor in the selection, architecting, and integration of Solid Rocket Motors (SRMs), ignition systems, Thrust Vector Control (TVC) systems, and associated ordnance on missile platforms and air vehicles.
• Design, fabricate, and test prototype components, structural interfaces, and thrust vectoring or ignition control systems.
• Plan, instrument, and execute ground static fire, environmental, and integration tests of solid rocket propulsion systems.
• Coordinate with SRM vendors, develop strategic partnerships, and manage development projects.
• Lead or support critical hardware demonstrations with customers as needed.
• Critical member of team supporting CAD design for structural integration, motor cases, nozzles, blast tubes, and aerodynamic / structural interfaces.
• Travel to vendor sites, test sites and test ranges as needed.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Mechanical, Aerospace, or Electrical Engineering.
• 15+ years of propulsion engineering experience on tactical missiles, launch vehicles, or air vehicles.
• Professional experience with Solid Rocket Motors (SRMs) for defense or aerospace applications.
• Mastery of rocket internal ballistics, performance modeling, and grain design; ability to influence SRM OEM design decisions to match vehicle requirements.
• Served as the Chief Engineer or ultimate technical authority on a major solid rocket propulsion program, defining technology roadmaps and architectural baselines.
• Experience identifying and selecting strategic SRM suppliers, managing critical OEM relationships, and establishing qualified supply chains.
• Experience defining comprehensive propulsion test programs (including static fire testing, environmental qualification, hazards classification, acceptance, flight-test readiness) and troubleshooting system-level anomalies.
• Experience advising executive leadership on technical risks, representing the company to key customers / government agencies, and mentoring mid‑to‑senior level engineers.
• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in NX / Teamcenter, Python, MATLAB.
• Hands‑on experience with solid rocket motor testing, including static fire test practices, instrumentation, and data processing.
• Previous work experience at a Solid Rocket Motor OEM or supplier, with a deep understanding of propellant formulation, grain geometries, and nozzle performance trade‑offs.
• Knowledge and experience working with Thrust Vector Control (TVC) systems, Ignition Safety Devices (ISD / ESAD), ordnance systems, telemetry / flight termination systems, burn rate enhancers (BRE).
• Experience tailoring and conducting sensitive munition testing.
• Experience procuring parts and working in a machine shop. Working knowledge of machine safety and shop safety protocols.
• Active U.S. Top Secret security clearance.

US Salary Range

$253,000—$336,000 USD

Benefits

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Anduril's total compensation package. Additionally, Anduril offers top‑tier benefits for full‑time employees, including:

At Anduril, we invest in our people. Our comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) ensures you’re supported in health, recovery, and whatever comes next. For more information, Explore Our Benefits.

Protecting Yourself from Recruitment Scams

Anduril is committed to maintaining the integrity of our Talent acquisition process and the security of our candidates. We've observed a rise in sophisticated phishing and fraudulent schemes where individuals impersonate Anduril representatives, luring job seekers with false interviews or job offers. These scammers often attempt to extract payment or sensitive personal information.

• No Financial Requests: Anduril will never solicit payment or demand personal financial details (such as banking information, credit card numbers, or social security numbers) at any stage of our hiring process. Our legitimate recruitment is entirely free for candidates.
• Please always verify communications:
  • Direct from Anduril: If you receive an email from one of our recruiters, it will only come from an @anduril.com address.
  • Via Agency Partner: If contacted by a recruiting agency for an Anduril role, their email will clearly identify their agency. If you suspect any suspicious activity, please verify the agency's authenticity by reaching out to [e-mail].
• Exercise Caution with Unsolicited Outreach: If you receive any communication that appears suspicious, contains grammatical errors, or makes unusual requests, do not engage. Always confirm the sender's email domain is @anduril.com before providing any personal information or clicking on links.
• What to Do If You Suspect Fraud: Should you encounter any questionable or fraudulent outreach claiming to be from Anduril, please report it immediately to [e-mail]. Your proactive caution is invaluable in protecting your personal information and upholding the security and trustworthiness of our recruitment efforts.

Data Privacy

To view Anduril's candidate data privacy policy, please visit https://anduril.com/applicant-privacy-notice/.

By submitting your application, you consent to Anduril Industries using a third‑party service provider to conduct pre‑employment risk, integrity, and due diligence screening and assessing potential risks as part of your application process. This third‑party service provider provides risk‑intelligence services that may include analysis of sanctions and watchlists, adverse media, public‑record information, and other lawful open‑source or commercial data sources. This third‑party service provider does not act as a consumer reporting agency. Use of this provider helps to ensure compliance with applicable laws and protect technology, intellectual property, and organizational security.