Materials Engineer, Rocket Motor Systems

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century’s most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril’s family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.About the TeamAnduril's Rocket Motor Systems (RMS) team is rebuilding U.S. domestic production capacity for solid rocket propulsion. We're looking for a Materials and Process (M&P) Engineer to help connect how a motor is formulated, tested, and built to how it actually performs. You'll work across the full stack of solid rocket motor materials: insulation, seals, propellants, motor cases, nozzles, and energetic systems.About the RoleThis is a role you'll grow into. Alongside a supportive team, you'll help build the M&P infrastructure that lets the RMS team scale from prototype development to high-rate production, contributing to the material specifications, process specifications, acceptance test procedures, and design allowables that turn fast-moving development work into clear, configuration-controlled engineering documentation. You'll take on more ownership as you go, and you'll have experienced engineers around you to learn from while you do.We're looking for someone with solid materials-science fundamentals for aerospace applications, a habit of documenting their work so others can build on it, and genuine curiosity about how materials behave in the real world. You might be early in your career or already deep in it, either way, you like being hands-on in the lab and thinking about how to make good work repeatable.What You'll DoConnect polymeric material properties, characterization, and processing fundamentals to solid rocket motor design, formulation, testing, manufacturing, and performanceBuild and maintain material specifications that connect system performance requirements to formulation for polymeric materials spanning raw materials, components, and assemblies, including liners, seals, propellants, cases (metal and composite), ablatives, insulators, adhesives, and coatingsDevelop standard testing procedures to characterize the mechanical, viscoelastic, thermal, and surface behavior of polymeric materials across solid rocket motor components and assembliesCreate process specifications for manufacturing operations including propellant processing, ablative manufacturing, insulation/liner bonding and surface preparation, surface modification, coating application, adhesive curing, heat treatment, and final assemblyRun materials characterization for polymeric materials including mechanical testing (tensile, shear, flexural, bonding), thermal analysis, rheology, cure kinetics, surface energy and interfaces, and ablation performanceDevelop design allowables from characterization results per industry standards (CMH-17, JANNAF)Partner with design and manufacturing teams to review drawings and manufacturing plans, support design reviews, and troubleshoot production issuesWork across science, engineering, manufacturing, quality, and program teams to turn mission requirements into right-sized material and process solutionsContribute to cost-reduction and cycle-time improvement efforts for high-rate production and prepare technical documentation that lets us move fast without losing rigorRequired QualificationsBachelor's degree in Materials Science, Polymer Engineering, Polymer Science, Chemical Engineering, or a related field2+ years of materials and process engineering experience in material testing for aerospace, propulsion, or defense applicationsWorking knowledge in one or more of the following (with interest in growing into the others): polymer mechanics and rheology, propellant materials and processing, adhesive bonding, cure kinetics, and surface preparationExposure to developing material or process specificationsExperience with material characterization, testing, and documentationStrong technical writing and attention to detailAbility to manage multiple priorities independently in a fast-paced environmentMust be able to obtain and maintain a U.S. Top Secret security clearancePreferred QualificationsMaster's or Doctorate in Materials Science, Polymer Engineering, Polymer Science, Chemical Engineering, or a related fieldDirect experience with materials used in solid rocket motors, including insulation, seals, propellants, motor cases, nozzles, and energetic componentsDepth or growing interest in two or more of the following: high-temperature coatings, adhesives, insulation, liners, and ablatives; polymer surface characterization and modification; interfacial mechanics, chemistry, and behavior (polymer-to-polymer, metal-to-polymer, ceramic-to-polymer)Hands-on experience with polymer processing, propellant processing, composite fabrication, ablative manufacturing, or metal case productionExperience developing design allowables per CMH-17, JANNAF, or MIL-HDBK-17 standardsExperience with NDI methods and developing inspection proceduresExperience characterizing polymer material interfaces across solid rocket motor systems (insulation-to-propellant, insulation-to-motor case, seals-to-motor case) via mechanical, thermal, and/or spectroscopy methodsFamiliarity with MIL-STDs, AIAA standards, and JANNAF best practicesKnowledge of rocket motor design, internal ballistics, and combustion environmentsExperience participating in Engineering Review Boards, Material Review Boards, and Failure Review BoardsExperience transitioning processes from development to production in agile environmentsUS Salary Range$87,000—$116,000 USDThe 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 Anduril's total compensation package. Additionally, Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including: BenefitsAt Anduril, we invest in our people. Our comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) ensures you’re supported in health, recovery, and whatever comes next. For more information, Explore Our Benefits.Protecting Yourself from Recruitment ScamsAnduril is committed to maintaining the integrity of our Talent acquisition process and the security of our candidates. We've observed a rise in sophisticated phishing and fraudulent schemes where individuals impersonate Anduril representatives, luring job seekers with false interviews or job offers. 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