Propellant Formulation Engineer – Energetic Materials

Kratos Defense and Security Solutions; Bloomington (IN); On-site; USD 85,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k)

Paid time off

Company holidays

Employee stock purchase plan

Job summary

Prometheus Energetics, a Kratos/Rafael joint venture, seeks a Propellant Chemist/Formulation Engineer to advance solid propellant development from lab through pilot scale. You will work across engineering, operations, safety, and test teams translating ballistic requirements into safe, robust energetic formulations. Candidate must have DoD/DoD-like program experience and be US security clearance eligible.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science/Engineering, or related technical discipline.
• Minimum of 4 years of hands-on experience in energetic materials formulation, propellant chemistry, or reactive materials manufacturing in aerospace/defense.
• Solid understanding of solid composite propellants, binder systems (e.g., HTPB), curing chemistry, and energetic material thermodynamics.
• Experience with materials characterization and laboratory instrumentation (FTIR, DSC, TGA, rheometers).
• Familiarity with pilot-scale mixing, vacuum casting, and manufacturing floor support.
• U.S. Citizen capable of obtaining/maintaining a U.S. Government Secret clearance.

Responsibilities

• Assist in designing propellant formulation strategies aligned with ballistic targets, environment, and shelf-life.
• Support design, preparation, and optimization of solid propellant formulations including binder matrices, oxidizers, metal fuels, plasticizers, bonding agents, and catalysts.
• Conduct lab-scale mixing, casting, and sample prep under strict safety protocols.
• Perform characterization testing to evaluate thermal stability, cure kinetics, and mechanical properties.
• Support transition of lab recipes to pilot/production-scale processes and establish CPPs to minimize variability.

Skills

Energetic materials

Propellant chemistry

Materials testing

Pilot-scale

Safety protocols

Education

Bachelor's degree in Chemistry or related

Tools

FTIR

DSC

TGA

Rheometer

Job description

Prometheus Energetics, a Kratos/Rafael joint venture, seeks a Propellant Chemist/Formulation Engineer to advance solid propellant development from lab through pilot scale. You will work across engineering, operations, safety, and test teams translating ballistic requirements into safe, robust energetic formulations. Candidate must have DoD/DoD-like program experience and be US security clearance eligible.