Chemist

What you'll do

• Own the chemistry for booster and propulsion materials, from material selection and qualification through to production support and in-service performance.
• Characterise energetic and non-energetic materials, including polymers, adhesives, liners, and composites, using thermal, spectroscopic, chromatographic, and mechanical methods.
• Plan and run compatibility, stability, and ageing studies, and use the results to predict service life and support safety decisions.
• Carry out and interpret sensitiveness and thermal stability testing, and provide data for hazard assessments and hazard classification.
• Work closely with our stress and design teams to provide material properties, assess how materials degrade, and support analysis and design decisions.
• Specify, qualify, and technically manage material suppliers and test laboratories, including incoming inspection and acceptance criteria.
• Investigate material failures, anomalies, and non-conformances, find the root cause, and give clear disposition advice.
• Help set up and run safe laboratory operations for energetic and hazardous materials, working with the HSE (Health, Safety and Environment) and Quality teams.
• Manage chemical compliance, including hazardous substances, safety data sheets, and REACH/CLP obligations.
• Write clear, traceable test procedures, material specifications, and reports under configuration control.

Who you are

• A hands-on Chemist with experience in energetic materials, propellants, polymers, or other high-performance materials for aerospace or defence.
• Degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or Materials Science (or a related discipline); a PhD or other postgraduate qualification is a plus.
• Practical experience with analytical methods such as DSC, TGA, FTIR, GC-MS, HPLC, DMA, or rheology, and turning the results into engineering decisions.
• Experience with material compatibility, stability, or ageing studies, ideally in a safety-critical setting.
• A strong safety mindset and experience working with hazardous materials under formal safety rules.
• Experience with energetic materials testing, hazard classification, or explosives handling is a strong advantage.
• Programming skills (e.g. Python or MATLAB) for data analysis and automation are an advantage.
• Comfortable making sound scientific judgements with incomplete data in fast-moving, prototype-heavy environments, without compromising on safety.

What we offer

• A mission driven environment with the opportunity to work on one of Europe’s most consequential defence challenges, with direct impact on sovereign capability and security.
• Daily collaboration with top experts across engineering, operations, and defence, with real opportunity to learn from the best, contribute, and grow.
• High ownership and autonomy; no time tracking, no micromanagement, just clear objectives and accountability for outcomes.
• A fast paced environment where good ideas are implemented quickly, and feedback from test and flight drives real decisions.
• A culture that values clarity, integrity, and excellence, and supports people who take initiative and push boundaries responsibly.
• Competitive compensation and real share options aligned to responsibility and impact, not tenure or hierarchy.