Propulsion Engineering

Propulsion Engineer - Air Vehicles & Precision Strike

Propulsion Development | Integration | Ground & Flight Test

Location

Orange County, California

Employment Type

Full-time

Department

Engineering - Propulsion

Reports To

Eligibility

U.S. citizenship required; must be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance

About Tiberius Aerospace

Tiberius Aerospace is a cutting-edge aerospace and defense company delivering advanced, mission-critical technologies for government and private-sector customers. The company develops high-performance aerospace systems, secure engineering solutions, and complex hardware for demanding operational environments.

Tiberius is scaling quickly and is looking for engineers who operate with ownership, urgency, sound technical judgment, and the discipline required to deliver hardware that performs when it matters.

The Role

Tiberius Aerospace is seeking a hands-on Propulsion Engineer to develop, integrate, test, and qualify propulsion systems for advanced air vehicle and precision-strike programs.

You will work across propulsion architecture, component design, engine or motor integration, feed systems, ignition, thermal management, structural interfaces, instrumentation, ground testing, flight testing, and production transition.

The exact technical scope may include solid, liquid, hybrid, air-breathing, or other propulsion technologies depending on program requirements.

This is a hardware-development role. You will be expected to understand the physics, work directly with propulsion hardware, support testing, analyze results, investigate failures, and rapidly improve the design.

What You’ll Do

Propulsion Design & Analysis

• Develop propulsion architectures and subsystem concepts for advanced air vehicles and precision-strike systems.
• Perform first-principles calculations and numerical analysis to evaluate propulsion-system performance.
• Develop performance models covering thrust, impulse, mass flow, combustion, pressure, temperature, efficiency, and mission-level propulsion requirements.
• Conduct design trades balancing vehicle performance, mass, packaging, manufacturability, reliability, cost, and schedule.
• Define propulsion requirements and subsystem interfaces.
• Design or support the design of propulsion components, interfaces, mounts, feed systems, ignition hardware, thermal systems, valves, nozzles, and associated hardware.
• Evaluate propulsion performance across operational conditions and mission envelopes.
• Support material selection and thermal-management decisions for high-temperature environments.

Integration & Vehicle-Level Ownership

• Integrate propulsion systems into complete flight vehicles.
• Work with Mechanical, Structures, Aerodynamics, GNC, Electrical, and Systems teams to resolve propulsion interfaces.
• Define mechanical, electrical, thermal, software, and control interfaces.
• Evaluate propulsion effects on vehicle mass properties, loads, aerodynamics, control authority, thermal environment, and overall mission performance.
• Support packaging, access, maintainability, and integration decisions.
• Participate in system-level design reviews and vehicle trade studies.

Ground & Flight Test

• Develop propulsion development, verification, and qualification test plans.
• Design or support test fixtures, instrumentation, fluid systems, data acquisition, and test infrastructure.
• Lead or support component, subsystem, static-fire, environmental, and integrated-system testing.
• Analyze pressure, temperature, thrust, vibration, flow, combustion, and other test data.
• Correlate analytical models against test results.
• Investigate anomalous test results and hardware failures.
• Conduct root-cause analysis and implement corrective actions.
• Support flight-test campaigns and analyze propulsion performance from telemetry.

Manufacturing & Production

• Work with internal and external manufacturing teams to develop producible propulsion hardware.
• Review manufacturing processes, drawings, inspection criteria, supplier data, and hardware deviations.
• Support design-for-manufacturing and design-for-assembly decisions.
• Develop acceptance-test approaches and production screening requirements.
• Improve repeatability, reliability, cost, and manufacturing throughput as propulsion systems transition into production.
• Support supplier qualification and technical oversight where appropriate.

What You’ll Bring

• B.S. or higher in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 3+ years of relevant propulsion-development, integration, or test experience.
• Strong foundation in thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, combustion, compressible flow, or propulsion fundamentals.
• Experience developing or testing propulsion hardware.
• Ability to perform first-principles calculations and use analytical models to guide design decisions.
• Experience working with instrumentation, data acquisition, and propulsion test data.
• Familiarity with CAD, engineering drawings, and mechanical hardware integration.
• Experience supporting root-cause analysis and hardware troubleshooting.
• Ability to work safely and methodically around energetic, pressurized, high-temperature, or other hazardous systems.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• U.S. citizenship and eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with rocket motors, liquid propulsion systems, solid propulsion, hybrid propulsion, turbojet, ramjet, ducted-rocket, or other air-breathing propulsion systems.
• Experience supporting missile, munition, UAS, rocket, launch vehicle, or high-speed air vehicle development.
• Experience with ignition systems, propellant-management systems, valves, regulators, feed systems, injectors, combustion devices, or nozzles.
• Experience with static-fire or hot-fire testing.
• Experience with high-temperature materials, thermal protection, or thermal analysis.
• Familiarity with CFD or propulsion-performance modeling tools.
• Experience using Python, MATLAB, or equivalent tools for modeling and test-data analysis.
• Experience transitioning propulsion systems from development into production.
• Familiarity with explosive safety, energetic-material handling, or propulsion-test operations.
• Active U.S. government security clearance.

What Success Looks Like

You understand propulsion as a complete system rather than an isolated component.

You can make a credible analytical prediction, build or integrate the hardware, instrument a test, understand why the results differ from the model, and make the next design better.

You are comfortable around real propulsion hardware and take ownership from early architecture through successful flight.

Growth Opportunity

As Tiberius Aerospace develops increasingly capable propulsion systems, this role offers the opportunity to grow into propulsion subsystem ownership, technical leadership, propulsion architecture, and broader vehicle-level engineering responsibility.

Compensation & Benefits

Tiberius Aerospace offers competitive compensation commensurate with experience, equity participation, comprehensive health benefits, and a 401(k). Specific compensation will be discussed during the interview process.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Tiberius Aerospace is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to maintaining a workplace free from discrimination and harassment. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, medical condition, genetic information, military or veteran status, gender identity or expression, or any other status protected by applicable law.

Applicants who require a reasonable accommodation during the application process may contact [email protected].

Tiberius Aerospace participates in E-Verify.