Engineering Manager, Rockets

Location: Onsite in Penrose, Colorado, with work transitioning to Pueblo, Colorado

Salary: $200,000–$230,000 USD base salary per year

Company

hirify.global develops space, defense, and national security technologies, including mission-critical propulsion capabilities.

What you will do

• Lead and mentor a multidisciplinary engineering team working on solid rocket motor design, propellant formulation, process scale-up, and production.
• Guide programs through development, PDR/CDR, and Low Rate Initial Production.
• Set engineering strategy, plans, and resource allocation to meet performance, cost, schedule, and quality objectives.
• Oversee requirements, models, procedures, design documentation, and risk assessments.
• Represent engineering in technical and program reviews and develop engineering processes and continuous-improvement initiatives.
• Coach engineers and promote safety, accountability, and technical excellence.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in aerospace, mechanical, chemical engineering, or a related scientific field with 5+ years of relevant propulsion experience; alternatively, a related master’s degree with 3+ years of experience or 9+ years of relevant experience in lieu of a degree.
• 15+ years of hands-on solid rocket motor development and production experience, including oxidizer grinding, propellant formulation, grain design, mix/cast operations, and motor testing.
• 5+ years leading technically complex projects in a regulated or defense environment.
• 5+ years supervising engineering teams of 5+ people across multiple disciplines.
• Must be able to work onsite in Colorado and meet U.S. Government security, explosives licensing, and ITAR eligibility requirements.
• U.S. citizenship or qualifying U.S. person status is required for applicable security clearance and export authorization requirements.

Nice to have

• Experience transitioning solid rocket motor designs from R&D into production and establishing motor manufacturing capabilities.
• Knowledge of propellant casting and curing, motor case design, ballistic performance modeling, and acceptance testing.
• Experience with industrial automation, PLCs, instrumentation, SolidWorks, or MATLAB.

Culture & Benefits

• Flexible Time Off supporting work-life balance.
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and families.
• 401(k) plan with a 50% company match on contributions up to 8%.
• Wellness programs, gym membership options, and additional employee support benefits.
• Up to 25% travel to customer sites, conferences, and program reviews.
• Work in office and manufacturing environments involving industrial machinery, energetic chemicals, and explosives, with required personal protective equipment.