Senior Energetic Materials & Propellant Engineer

Castelion Corporation; Torrance (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Castelion is seeking a Sr. Materials & Process Engineer to lead the characterization, qualification, and failure analysis of solid rocket propellant systems, translating material behavior into engineering requirements and specifications.

The role collaborates with Propulsion and Manufacturing Engineering to drive material selection, processing controls, and qualification programs while ensuring safety and compliance.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in polymer characterization.
• Experience with propellant characterization techniques including mechanical testing, impact, static, burn-rate, and impulse testing.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Must be authorized to work in the U.S. and ITAR eligibility requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead characterization of propellant and related polymeric material systems using mechanical testing, DMA, rheometry, DSC/TGA, microscopy, and other relevant techniques.
• Develop test methods to understand material behavior across relevant temperatures, strain rates, aging conditions, and operational environments.
• Develop and execute material qualification and acceptance testing programs for raw materials and cast propellant.
• Lead failure analysis and root-cause investigations related to material performance, processing, and manufacturing defects.
• Develop and maintain material specifications, process controls, test plans, and acceptance criteria.
• Partner with Propulsion and Manufacturing Engineering to translate characterization results into material selection, processing requirements, and design inputs.
• Support manufacturing scale-up by identifying relationships between processing conditions, material structure, and resulting properties and performance.
• Ensure material testing and qualification activities comply with applicable material, handling, and safety requirements.

Skills

Polymer characterization

Aerospace experience

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in materials science/engineering or chemistry

Tools

DMA

Rheometry

DSC/TGA

Microscopy

Job description

Castelion is seeking a Sr. Materials & Process Engineer to lead the characterization, qualification, and failure analysis of solid rocket propellant systems, translating material behavior into engineering requirements and specifications.

The role collaborates with Propulsion and Manufacturing Engineering to drive material selection, processing controls, and qualification programs while ensuring safety and compliance.