Senior Propulsion Engineer (Rocket Motor Soft Goods)

Location: Torrance, California or Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States. The role may require access to classified information, restricted U.S. Government sites, and export-controlled information.

Company

hirify.global develops advanced defense systems, including long-range hypersonic strike vehicles.

What you will do

• Design and develop rocket motor soft goods, including liners, insulators, inhibitors, and internal thermal protection systems.
• Lead soft goods architecture, detailed design, material selection, and bonding strategies across propellant, motor case, and insulation interfaces.
• Perform thermal, chemical, and structural analyses for high-temperature and high-pressure operating environments.
• Collaborate with propulsion, structures, materials, and manufacturing teams on processing, fabrication, quality control, and motor integration.
• Plan and execute subscale and full-scale motor test campaigns, analyze results, and drive design improvements.
• Lead failure analysis and root-cause investigations for erosion, cracking, insulation performance, and debonding, while mentoring junior engineers.

Requirements

• Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in rocket propulsion or high-temperature material systems, focused on soft goods or internal motor components.
• Strong knowledge of insulation materials, liners, bonding systems, thermal protection materials, and propellant compatibility.
• Experience processing elastomers, ablatives, or composite insulation systems.
• Proficiency with analysis and modeling tools such as MATLAB, ANSYS, or equivalent.
• Experience with propulsion testing, data analysis, failure investigation, and fast-paced hardware development.

Culture & Benefits

• Early-stage environment with significant ownership and direct impact on defense-system development.
• Hands-on collaboration across multidisciplinary engineering and manufacturing teams.
• Generous benefits package.
• Equal opportunity workplace with reasonable accommodations throughout the hiring process.