Senior Propulsion Engineer

Senior Propulsion Engineer

About Estes Industries

For more than 65 years, Estes Industries has been a leader in small solid-propellant rocket motors, with more than 500 million motors flown. Estes serves education, hobby, industrial, defense, and government customers from its operations in Penrose, Colorado.

Position Summary

Estes Industries is seeking a Senior Propulsion Engineer to lead the design, analysis, development, testing, and qualification of solid rocket motors and related propulsion systems. This position combines hands‑on engineering with technical leadership and ownership of projects from requirements through production and flight.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead design, analysis, development, and qualification of solid rocket motors and propulsion components.
• Translate system and customer requirements into practical engineering solutions.
• Perform propulsion analyses and engineering trade studies to optimize performance, reliability, manufacturability, cost, and schedule.
• Develop test plans, support static-fire and qualification testing, analyze results, and document conclusions.
• Lead or support design reviews, failure investigations, root‑cause analysis, and corrective actions.
• Support propulsion system development to applicable safety, performance, and customer requirements.
• Partner with manufacturing and quality to transition designs into production and resolve technical issues.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to engineers and technicians.
• Manage technical execution, risks, schedules, and engineering deliverables for assigned projects.

Required Qualifications

• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• 7+ years of relevant engineering experience, or 5+ years with an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated experience with solid rocket propulsion or solid rocket motor development .
• Experience taking hardware through design, fabrication, testing, and evaluation.
• Strong engineering analysis, problem-solving, and technical documentation skills.
• Ability to independently lead complex technical work and communicate effectively across multidisciplinary teams.

• Must be eligible, as applicable to assigned duties, to possess or have access to explosive materials in accordance with federal explosives laws and regulations, including successful completion of required ATF employee-possessor requirements and background checks.
• Must comply with applicable federal, state, and local requirements governing energetic materials, explosives, hazardous materials, testing, storage, handling, and transportation, including applicable ATF, OSHA, and DOT requirements.
• Must follow Estes Industries safety, security, export-control, quality, and information-protection policies and procedures.
• Must be able to work safely in environments involving energetic materials, rocket motors, propulsion testing, and manufacturing operations and comply with required training, personal protective equipment, and site-safety procedures.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience designing and developing solid rocket motors.
• Experience with internal ballistics, motor performance, grain design, thermal or structural analysis, or ignition systems.
• Experience with static-fire testing, qualification, failure investigation, and production transition.
• Familiarity with energetic materials, propellant processing, and rocket motor manufacturing.
• Experience leading technical reviews and mentoring engineers.