Senior Materials & Process Engineer, Rocket Motor Systems
Job Location:
McHenry, IL - USA
Monthly Salary:
Posted on:
Vacancies:
Job Summary
About the Role
Andurils Rocket Motor Systems (RMS) team is seeking an experienced hands-on Senior Materials and Process (M&P) Engineer to provide technical leadership across our rapidly expanding solid rocket motor portfolio. Youll be the technical authority establishing M&P infrastructure from the ground up: defining the standards that will scale our rocket motor systems from prototype to high-rate production. This role will serve as a subject matter expert for materials processes and specifications supporting the full spectrum of rocket motor systems including propellants motor cases thermal protection systems nozzles and energetic components.
This is a foundational role where youll establish the M&P infrastructure that enables RMS to scale from prototype development to high-rate production at commercial speed. Youll lead the development documentation and standardization of material specifications process specifications acceptance test procedures and design allowables across multiple concurrent programs - transforming tribal knowledge and informal work instructions into robust configuration-controlled engineering documentation that will define how Anduril builds rocket motors for years to come.
The ideal candidate combines deep technical expertise in aerospace materials with strong documentation skills and the ability to drive standardization across a fast-moving organization. If you thrive in environments where you can build engineering infrastructure from the ground up while also solving challenging technical problems and youre ready to see your work fielded in months rather than years we want to hear from you.
This role will be based in McHenry Mississippi with 35-50% travel to our Costa Mesa HQ and RMS manufacturing sites in AL NC and other RMS facilities. Relocation assistance provided.
What Youll Do
- Develop and maintain Material Specifications for raw materials components and assemblies across all RMS systems including propellants cases (metal and composite) ablatives insulators adhesives coatings and nozzle materials
- Create Process Specifications for manufacturing operations including propellant processing composite fabrication (filament winding tape-wrapping compression molding) ablative component manufacturing bonding and surface preparation heat treatment coating application and final assembly processes
- Develop Standard Acceptance Test Procedures and NDI technique sheets for incoming materials in-process inspection and finished hardware (X-ray CT scan ultrasonic radiography)
- Review and standardize existing work instructions into formal configuration-controlled specifications with clearly defined process windows and acceptance criteria
- Serve as the subject matter expert for materials selection processing and qualification across solid rocket motor systems including propellants cases thermal protection systems nozzles igniters and other energetic components. Youll be the technical authority that Design and Manufacturing teams rely on
- Lead materials characterization programs including mechanical testing thermal analysis rheology cure kinetics and ablation performance evaluation; develop design allowables per industry standards (CMH-17 JANNAF) to enable high-confidence design decisions
- Provide materials and process expertise to Design and Manufacturing teams; review drawings and manufacturing plans support design reviews and troubleshoot production issues
- Drive material and process qualifications from development through production readiness; manage supplier technical relationships and qualification activities
- Lead failure investigations and root cause analyses for material-related anomalies; participate in MRBs FRBs ERBs and PCBs
- Interface with engineering manufacturing quality and program teams to translate mission requirements into robust material and process solutions
- Drive cost reduction and cycle time improvement initiatives to enable high-rate productionyour process optimizations will directly impact program economics and delivery timelines
- Mentor junior engineers and prepare technical documentation including specifications test reports and presentations
- Work directly with leadership to shape RMSs M&P strategy tooling investments and capability roadmap as the organization scales
Required Qualifications
- Bachelors degree in Materials Science Chemical Engineering Mechanical Engineering Aerospace Engineering or related field
- 5 years of materials and process engineering experience in aerospace propulsion or defense applications
- Proven experience developing material specifications and process specifications for production programs
- Strong technical background in multiple areas such as:
- Experience with material characterization testing and documentation
- Strong technical writing skills and attention to detail
- Experience troubleshooting manufacturing processes and leading root cause investigations
- Ability to manage multiple priorities independently in a fast-paced environment
- Ability to obtain and hold a U.S. Top Secret security clearance
Preferred Qualifications
- Direct experience with solid rocket motor systems including propellants motor cases nozzles thermal protection systems or energetic components
- Hands-on experience with propellant processing composite fabrication ablative manufacturing or metal case production
- Experience developing design allowables per CMH-17 JANNAF or MIL-HDBK-17 standards
- Experience with NDI methods and developing inspection procedures
- Familiarity with MIL-STDs AIAA standards and JANNAF best practices
- Knowledge of rocket motor design internal ballistics and combustion environments
- Experience participating in Engineering Review Boards Material Review Boards and Failure Review Boards
- Experience transitioning processes from development to production in agile environments
US Salary Range
$113000 - $149000 USD
The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience education and/or training critical skills and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Andurils total compensation package. Additionally Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees including:
Benefits
At Anduril we invest in our people. Our comprehensive competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) ensures youre supported in health recovery and whatever comes next.For more information Explore Our Benefits.
Protecting Yourself from Recruitment Scams
Anduril is committed to maintaining the integrity of our Talent acquisition process and the security of our candidates. Weve observed a rise in sophisticated phishing and fraudulent schemes where individuals impersonate Anduril representatives luring job seekers with false interviews or job offers. These scammers often attempt to extract payment or sensitive personal information.
To ensure your safety and help you navigate your job search with confidence please keep the following critical points in mind:
No Financial Requests:Anduril will never solicit payment or demand personal financial details (such as banking information credit card numbers or social security numbers) at any stage of our hiring process. Our legitimate recruitment is entirely free for candidates.
- Please always verify communications:
- Direct from Anduril: If you receive an email from one of our recruiters it will only come from an
@address. - Via Agency Partner: If contacted by a recruiting agency for an Anduril role their email will clearly identify their agency. If you suspect any suspicious activity please verify the agencys authenticity by reaching out to .
- Direct from Anduril: If you receive an email from one of our recruiters it will only come from an
Exercise Caution with Unsolicited Outreach:If you receive any communication that appears suspicious contains grammatical errors or makes unusual requests do not engage. Always confirm the senders email domain is @ before providing any personal information or clicking on links.
What to Do If You Suspect Fraud:Should you encounter any questionable or fraudulent outreach claiming to be from Anduril please report it immediately to. Your proactive caution is invaluable in protecting your personal information and upholding the security and trustworthiness of our recruitment efforts.
Data Privacy
To view Andurils candidate data privacy policy please visit submitting your application you consent to Anduril Industries using a third-party service provider to conduct pre-employment risk integrity and due diligence screening and assessing potential risks as part of your application process. This third-party service provider provides risk-intelligence services that may include analysis of sanctions and watchlists adverse media public-record information and other lawful open-source or commercial data sources. This third-party service provider does not act as a consumer reporting agency. Use of this provider helps to ensure compliance with applicable laws and protect technology intellectual property and organizational security.
Required Experience:
Senior IC
