Senior Propulsion Engineer (Rocket Motors)

Location: Torrance, California or Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States

Company

hirify.global develops advanced defense systems, including long-range hypersonic strike vehicles, in an early-stage, hardware-driven environment.

What you will do

• Design and develop solid rocket motor systems, including grain geometry, case structures, insulation, and nozzle assemblies.
• Lead propulsion hardware architecture and detailed design against performance, structural, and thermal requirements.
• Perform internal ballistics, thermal, and structural analyses for high-temperature and high-pressure operating conditions.
• Integrate propulsion systems with structures, thermal, GNC, and manufacturing teams.
• Plan and execute static-fire, qualification, development, and flight test campaigns, including instrumentation, data collection, and post-test analysis.
• Conduct failure investigations, optimize designs for performance and manufacturability, mentor junior engineers, and support technical trade decisions.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related field.
• At least 5 years of experience in rocket propulsion design, analysis, and testing for aerospace or defense applications.
• Strong experience with solid rocket motor design, internal ballistics, grain design, and nozzle performance.
• Experience setting up propulsion tests, instrumentation, data analysis, hardware integration, and troubleshooting.
• Familiarity with structural and thermal design of high-temperature, high-pressure systems.
• Proficiency with analysis and modeling tools such as MATLAB, ANSYS, or equivalent; access to export-controlled information may require applicable U.S. government authorization or eligibility.

Culture & Benefits

• Work in a fast-paced, hardware-rich environment with a high test cadence.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary engineering and manufacturing teams.
• Take substantial ownership in an early-stage organization and contribute directly to mission delivery.
• Generous benefits package.
• Equal opportunity workplace with reasonable accommodation throughout the application and hiring process.