Senior Propellant Materials & Process Engineer

Castelion Corporation; Torrance (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Castelion is seeking an experienced Materials & Process Engineer to lead the characterization and qualification of solid rocket motor propellants and related materials. The role focuses on understanding material behavior, establishing testing methodologies, and investigating failures to support propulsion hardware reliability.

Ideally you will have experience with polymers, elastomers, and energetic materials, plus strong communication skills to collaborate across Propulsion and Manufacturing

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in materials science/engineering, chemistry or a related discipline.
• 5+ years of experience working with polymer characterization, preferably within the aerospace industry.
• 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 comply with 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.

Job description

Castelion is seeking an experienced Materials & Process Engineer to lead the characterization and qualification of solid rocket motor propellants and related materials. The role focuses on understanding material behavior, establishing testing methodologies, and investigating failures to support propulsion hardware reliability.

Ideally you will have experience with polymers, elastomers, and energetic materials, plus strong communication skills to collaborate across Propulsion and Manufacturing