Staff Design Engineer, Solid Rocket Motor Nozzles

Employer description

The future of aerospace and defense starts here. 

Ursa Major was founded to revolutionize how America and its allies access and apply high-performance propulsion, from hypersonics to solid rocket motors, satellite maneuvering and launch. We design and deliver propulsion and defense systems that solve the most urgent and critical national security demands. 

Ursa Major’s solid rocket motor team is hiring multiple Staff Design Engineers to own the design, development, and qualification of solid rocket motor nozzles and associated insulation systems. This is a senior, highly technical role with end-to-end responsibility: from clean-sheet concept through qualification and scalable production. 

You will be a technical owner for SRM design at Ursa Major, defining nozzle architectures and interfaces, leading shell and insulator design, and driving test campaigns. You’ll play a key role in establishing the design methods, standards, and processes that enable scalable, high-rate production of solid rocket motors. 

 
This isn’t purely a desk job. You’ll be expected to be on the build floor working with technicians, integrating hardware, and resolving build issues in real time. Our engineers work across a variety of programs and roles, so you’ll have the opportunity to contribute beyond your title and take on new challenges as they arise. 

What You’ll Do 

• Own clean-sheet design of solid rocket motor nozzles, including shells, insulators, and interfaces.  

• Translate customer requirements and mission needs into robust, manufacturable nozzle designs that meet performance, reliability, cost, and schedule targets.  

• Lead design trades across materials, manufacturing processes, and nozzle architectures.  

• Develop and execute test campaigns (coupon through full-scale testing) to derisk new concepts and mature them into qualified products.  

• Review test data and post-test hardware to verify performance against predictions, identify anomalies, and drive design or process changes when needed.  

• Provide hands-on support for hardware assembly and test, including troubleshooting manufacturing, integration, and performance issues.  

• Lead cross-functional collaboration with analysis, manufacturing, test, systems, and supply chain teams to ensure nozzle designs meet all stakeholder needs.  

• Work with supply chain and procurement to ensure nozzle designs are compatible with high‑rate, automated production and available materials/processes; and adjust designs when significant supply‑chain or obsolescence risks are identified. 

• Establish and maintain aggressive but realistic development schedules, identifying technical and programmatic risks early and implementing mitigation plans.  

• Generate, review, and approve CAD models and engineering drawings in accordance with internal standards and ASME Y14.5‑2009.  

• Maintain rigorous technical documentation: requirements, design reviews, test plans and reports, verification/validation evidence, and customer deliverables.  

• Serve as a technical mentor for less-senior engineers, providing guidance on nozzle/motor design, analysis, manufacturing, and performance.  

• Codify best practices by authoring design standards, guidelines, checklists, and processes to drive consistency and quality across the SRM portfolio. 

Required Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related field.  

• Minimum of 7 years of relevant experience in rocket propulsion, high-temperature structures, or closely related hardware.  

• Extensive experience with erosive and nonerosive nozzle designs and associated manufacturing practices.  

• Ability to execute clean-sheet nozzle designs, including first-order fluids and thermal analyses to inform geometry, materials, and insulation strategies.  

• Proficiency with CAD and engineering analysis tools (e.g., structural, thermal, and fluid/CFD analysis).  

• Strong engineering fundamentals, including deep knowledge of thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, heat transfer, and structural mechanics.  

• Clear, effective written and verbal communication skills for cross-functional collaboration, design reviews, customer discussions, and documentation.  

• Eligibility for a U.S. DoD Secret Clearance is required and maintaining that eligibility is a condition of employment.  

Desired Experience 

• Master’s degree or PhD in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related technical discipline.  

• Experience architecting and designing electromechanical systems (e.g., actuators, gimbal mechanisms) for nozzle vectoring.  

• Direct experience with vectorable nozzle technologies (e.g., splitline designs, jet tabs, flexseals).  

• Hands-on involvement in rapid product development environments (prototype‑heavy, fast‑<span data-contrast="auto...