{"id":4201548,"url":"https://alion.io/job/castelion-propulsion-engineer-solid-rocket-motor-ballistics","title":"Propulsion Engineer (Solid Rocket Motor Ballistics)","company":{"id":1795053,"name":"Castelion","domain":"castelion.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/castelion","size_band":"501-1000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":null},"role":"Aerospace","role_family":"Aerospace","seniority":"junior","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":2,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"MATLAB","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-11-12T20:43:15Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-11-12","last_verified_at":"2026-11-13T11:06:36Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":0,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":0},"description":"Why Castelion, Why Now \nCastelion is moving incredibly fast to develop and deliver advanced defense systems at a time when execution matters more than ever. We believe focus, ownership, and excellence are decisive advantages - and we're building a world-class team to turn bold ideas into real capability. \nThis is a rare opportunity to join at an early stage, where you'll have significant ownership, collaborate with exceptional teammates, and make a direct, measurable impact on our mission and the future of the company - regardless of your function. \nPropulsion Engineer (Solid Rocket Motor Ballistics) \nWe are seeking a solid rocket motor ballistician to own the performance predictions of our motors. This position is central to our ability to deliver at speed and scale, with a strong emphasis on driving technically sound designs that meet aggressive schedule, affordability, and production goals. \nResponsibilities\nDesign and develop rocket motor systems, including grain geometry, case structures, insulation, and nozzle assemblies. \nLead the architecture and detailed design of propulsion hardware to meet performance, structural, and thermal requirements \nPerform internal ballistics, thermal, and structural analyses to ensure motor performance and reliability under extreme operating conditions \nAdvance the internal Castelion capabilities for analysis predictions and correlation to tests for solid rocket motor propellant as well as ignition systems (BKNO3) \nWork closely with structures, thermal, GNC, and manufacturing teams to ensure seamless integration of propulsion systems with the vehicle \nSupport propellant selection, processing, and characterization in collaboration with materials and manufacturing teams \nPlan and execute static fire tests and development test campaigns, including instrumentation, data collection, and post-test analysis \nConduct failure analysis and root cause investigations, driving design improvements and risk reduction \nDefine and execute qualification and flight test plans, translating results into system-level improvements \nOptimize designs for performance, mass, manufacturability, and operational reliability \nMentor junior engineers and contribute to best practices in propulsion system design and testing \nPartner closely with program leadership to make technical trades aligned with mission success \nBasic Qualifications\nBachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field \n2+ years of experience in rocket propulsion design, analysis, and testing for aerospace or defense applications \nStrong background in solid rocket motor design, including internal ballistics, grain design, ignitors, and nozzle performance \nExperience with propulsion testing, including static fire test setup, instrumentation, and data analysis \nFamiliarity with structural and thermal design considerations for high-temperature, high-pressure systems \nProficiency in analysis and modeling tools (e.g., MATLAB, SPP, or equivalent) \nExperience with hardware build, integration, and troubleshooting in a lab or test environment \nStrong problem-solving mindset, thriving in a fast-paced, hardware-rich, high test cadence environment \nPreferred Skills and Experience\nExperience with preliminary / conceptual design from performance requirements for solid rocket motor grains \nExperience with pyrotechnic and pyrogenic ignition systems and characterizing ignitor performance. \nExperience with grain and nozzle optimization for tactical SRM systems. \nExperience correlating analytical models with physical test data. \nAerospace, hypersonic, launch vehicle, spacecraft, or other high-performance flight hardware experience. \nExperience establishing engineering standards or methodologies. \nDemonstrated ability to mentor and develop engineers technically. \nExperience working with composites, coatings, finishes, and advanced manufacturing processes. \nAdditional Requirements\nWilling and able to work extended hours and/or weekends with minimal notification to meet critical deadlines leading up to major milestones.\nAble to travel up to 30% on an ongoing basis\nCastelion offers a generous benefits package. Please refer to the bottom of our Careers page for more details. \nOther Duties \nPlease note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice. \nAdditional Eligibility Requirements \nThis position may require access to classified information or restricted U.S. Government sites, systems, or information, as determined by the Company and/or applicable U.S. Government requirements. If the position is so designated, your employment in the role may be contingent upon your ability to obtain and maintain the required U.S. Government security clearance or other government authorization, and to satisfy any citizenship or other eligibility requirements imposed by applicable law, regulation, executive order, or government contract requirements. You will be notified if and when such requirements apply. \nAffirmative Action/EEO Statement \nCastelion is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. \nCastelion is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities throughout the application and hiring process. If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete an application, participate in the interview process, or otherwise participate in the hiring process, please contact . Requests for accommodation will be considered on an individual basis and handled in accordance with applicable law. \nCastelion is committed to fostering a workplace where employment decisions are based on qualifications, business needs, and the ability to perform the essential functions of the role, with or without reasonable accommodation. \nEAR/ITAR Requirements \nThis position requires access to export-controlled information, and as such, employment (or hiring of a contractor) is contingent upon the candidate’s ability to access all applicable export-controlled information without additional export licensing being required by the Bureau of Industry and Security and/or the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls.","description_format":"text","description_chars":6668,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":2,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":true,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Missiles","Defense Manufacturing"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-11-12T22:23:11Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":86,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.86,"p_room":1,"age_days":0,"expected_fill_days":48,"reasons":["conf:0","win:early","comp:junior,brand"],"computed_at":"2026-11-13T11:31:37Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/castelion-propulsion-engineer-solid-rocket-motor-ballistics","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/castelion-propulsion-engineer-solid-rocket-motor-ballistics.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-13T11:31:37Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":23226,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-14T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.1,"usd":0.01,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":1795053},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=1795053"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fcastelion-propulsion-engineer-solid-rocket-motor-ballistics"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"free","price":{"credits":0,"usd":0},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fcastelion-propulsion-engineer-solid-rocket-motor-ballistics"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.1,"usd":0.01},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fcastelion-propulsion-engineer-solid-rocket-motor-ballistics"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/castelion-propulsion-engineer-solid-rocket-motor-ballistics\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fcastelion-propulsion-engineer-solid-rocket-motor-ballistics"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":4201548}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"castelion.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":4201548},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. 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