Propulsion Engineer

Singularity is an aerospace and defense startup headquartered in Gardena, CA. Our founding team hails from SpaceX, Anduril, and Lockheed Martin, and we are backed by Joint Staff-level military leadership and several Silicon Valley firms. Our first product is a low-cost air defense system built for immediate deployment worldwide. With a world-class business development and leadership team already in place, we are well positioned to capitalize on already overwhelming demand.

We are seeking an early-career Propulsion Engineer to join our solid rocket motor team. This is an entry-level individual contributor role in which you will work alongside senior propellant and ballistics engineers on tactical missile, interceptor, and munitions propulsion programs. The successful candidate will support propellant development from lab-scale formulation through motor testing, building hands-on experience in the laboratory, on the mixing floor, and at the test stand. You will develop the analytical skills to connect test data to ballistic predictions, with structured mentorship and increasing technical ownership as you grow.

Key Responsibilities

• Composite Propellant Formulation
• Support senior engineers in formulating and optimizing HTPB-AP-Al and related composite propellants for tactical motor programs.
• Prepare and test lab-scale propellant batches to evaluate oxidizer particle size distributions, aluminum fuel types, and binder curative ratios.
• Perform ingredient lot acceptance testing and compatibility screening following established procedures and MIL-SPEC requirements.
• Collect and organize thermal stability, sensitivity, and aging data on candidate formulations.
• Help track ingredient lot data and supplier certifications, and flag variability.

Tactical Interior Ballistics & Performance Modeling

• Run ballistic performance predictions for tactical motor configurations in SPP, CLWire, or equivalent tools under the guidance of senior ballistics engineers.
• Reduce strand burner and subscale motor data to extract burn rate, pressure exponent, and temperature sensitivity across the tactical operating range (-65°F to +160°F).
• Compare predicted and measured motor performance and document the differences. Support ballistic anomaly investigations by gathering data, building plots, and drafting sections of disposition reports.
• Contribute analysis to trade studies and PDR/CDR design reviews.
• Mixing & Propellant Processing

  Support composite propellant mixing operations, including ingredient preparation, batch record completion, and in-process measurements such as viscosity and pot life.

• Follow and help maintain mixing procedures, cure schedules, and SOPs.
• Assist with troubleshooting mixing anomalies and root cause investigations.
• Support scale-up from laboratory to production quantities by collecting and comparing lot-to-lot ballistic and mechanical data.
• Participate in process hazard analyses and management of change reviews.

Testing, Characterization & Data Analysis

• Prepare specimens and run or support characterization testing for mechanical properties (uniaxial tensile, stress relaxation), burn rate (strand burner, Crawford bomb), and aging (surveillance coupon programs).
• Reduce, analyze, and plot test data in MATLAB, Python, or equivalent tools.
• Write test reports and technical memos, and present results at team meetings.
• Support static fire testing, including motor preparation, instrumentation, and post-test data reduction.
• Help prepare data for propellant-related CDRLs and customer submittals.

Learning & Team Contribution

• Work closely with a senior engineer mentor and take on increasing technical ownership over time.
• Participate in integrated product team (IPT) meetings and customer technical interchange meetings (TIMs).
• Contribute to IRAD initiatives, white papers, and proposal inputs as opportunities arise.

Safety & Regulatory Compliance

• Complete explosives safety training and follow all safety procedures for energetic materials, including ESD controls and friction/impact sensitivity protocols.
• Participate in PHA, FMEA, and FTA activities for new propellant formulations and processing operations.
• Report safety concerns and near misses promptly, and support mishap investigations as required.

Required Qualifications

• B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or closely related field
• 0-2 years of relevant experience, including internships, co-ops, or research
• Coursework or project experience in thermodynamics, combustion, propulsion, or materials science
• Proficiency in MATLAB, Python, or equivalent for data reduction and analysis
• Strong attention to detail, comfort working in laboratory and production environments, and a commitment to safety
• Clear written and verbal communication skills
• U.S. person as defined by ITAR, with the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret clearance

Preferred Qualifications

• M.S. in a relevant discipline
• Internship or co-op experience in solid propulsion, energetics, or defense manufacturing
• Hands-on experience with collegiate rocketry, solid motor projects, or energetics research
• Exposure to composite propellant chemistry (HTPB, AP, aluminum) or polymer processing
• Familiarity with interior ballistics concepts such as burn rate laws, Kn, and grain geometry
• Laboratory experience with mechanical testing, thermal analysis (DSC/TGA), or rheology