Propulsion Development & Test Leader

Socket.dev; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 140,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

HRA/HSA options

PTO and paid holidays

401K

Parental Leave

Job summary

True Anomaly seeks an experienced Propulsion Development and Test Manager to own strategy, execution, and people behind our propulsion program. You will lead propulsion engineers, define development requirements, and steer trades on design options while maturing propulsion capabilities across campaigns.

You will strongly influence safety practices, schedule commitments, and cross‑functional collaboration with civil, mechanical, electrical, and safety teams to deliver ambitious propulsion

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, or Chemical Engineering.
• 10+ years propulsion/fluids engineering with at least 3 years in leadership.
• Experience leading propulsion test campaigns (hot-fire, cold-flow, pressure tests).
• Hands-on propulsion design, analysis, or test experience.
• Experience with hypergolic propellants and safety standards/regulatory reqs.
• Ability to manage multiple workstreams, schedules, and budgets.
• Proven ability to build cohesive technical teams and mentor contributors.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, able to present to leadership and external stakeholders.
• U.S. Citizenship required due to government contracts.

Responsibilities

• Directly supervise and develop a team of propulsion development engineers capable of writing requirements, designing, testing and delivering prototype hardware.
• Align propulsion development demand with team capabilities, schedules, and roadmaps.
• Set expectations, provide feedback, conduct performance reviews, and create development plans.
• Foster a culture of technical rigor, safety, accountability, and ownership.
• Address and resolve blockers, resource conflicts, and cross-functional issues.
• Build and execute a roadmap to evaluate propulsion systems, test plans, and hardware upgrades.
• Provide technical oversight for infrastructure trade studies and ensure they align with program needs and budget.
• Review and approve P&IDs, fabrication drawings, and material selections for test stands.
• Champion safety and regulatory coordination, including environmental compliance and permitting.
• Oversee facility design/construction issues and interface with civil, mechanical, electrical, and safety teams.
• Serve as a management-level champion for safety in all design/ops aspects.
• Oversee hardware procurement, fabrication oversight, installation, and commissioning; resolve nonconformances.

Skills

Team leadership

Propulsion systems

Project management

Safety & compliance

Communication

Hypergolic knowledge

Cross-functional coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace/Mechanical/Chemical Eng

Master's degree (preferred)

Job description

True Anomaly seeks an experienced Propulsion Development and Test Manager to own strategy, execution, and people behind our propulsion program. You will lead propulsion engineers, define development requirements, and steer trades on design options while maturing propulsion capabilities across campaigns.

You will strongly influence safety practices, schedule commitments, and cross‑functional collaboration with civil, mechanical, electrical, and safety teams to deliver ambitious propulsion