Anduril Industries

Senior Materials & Process Engineer, Rocket Motor Systems

Anduril Industries$146K — $194K *
Aerospace & Defense
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field
  • 5+ years of materials and process engineering experience in aerospace, propulsion, or defense applications
  • Proven experience developing material specifications and process specifications for production programs
  • Strong technical background in material characterization, testing, and documentation
  • Experience troubleshooting manufacturing processes and leading root cause investigations
  • Ability to manage multiple priorities independently in a fast-paced environment
  • Ability to obtain and hold a U.S. Top Secret security clearance

Responsibilities

  • Develop and maintain Material Specifications for all RMS systems including propellants and motor cases
  • Create Process Specifications for various manufacturing operations and techniques
  • Develop Standard Acceptance Test Procedures and NDI technique sheets for materials
  • Review and standardize existing work instructions into formal specifications
  • Serve as the subject matter expert for materials selection and qualification for solid rocket motor systems
  • Lead materials characterization programs and develop design allowables
  • Provide expertise to Design and Manufacturing teams during production
  • Lead failure investigations and root cause analyses for material-related issues
  • Interface with cross-functional teams to ensure alignment on material and process solutions
  • Drive cost reduction initiatives to enhance production efficiency
  • Mentor junior engineers and create technical documentation
  • Shape M&P strategy and tooling investments with leadership

Benefits

  • Comprehensive, competitive benefits package available at little to no cost to employees
  • Support for health, recovery, and life changes
  • Investment in employee well-being
  • Access to highly competitive equity grants
Full Job Description


About the Role

Anduril's Rocket Motor Systems (RMS) team is seeking an experienced, hands-on Senior Materials and Process (M&P) Engineer to provide technical leadership across our rapidly expanding solid rocket motor portfolio. You'll be the technical authority establishing M&P infrastructure from the ground up: defining the standards that will scale our rocket motor systems from prototype to high-rate production. This role will serve as a subject matter expert for materials, processes, and specifications supporting the full spectrum of rocket motor systems including propellants, motor cases, thermal protection systems, nozzles, and energetic components.

This is a foundational role where you'll establish the M&P infrastructure that enables RMS to scale from prototype development to high-rate production at commercial speed. You'll lead the development, documentation, and standardization of material specifications, process specifications, acceptance test procedures, and design allowables across multiple concurrent programs - transforming tribal knowledge and informal work instructions into robust, configuration-controlled engineering documentation that will define how Anduril builds rocket motors for years to come.

The ideal candidate combines deep technical expertise in aerospace materials with strong documentation skills and the ability to drive standardization across a fast-moving organization. If you thrive in environments where you can build engineering infrastructure from the ground up while also solving challenging technical problems, and you're ready to see your work fielded in months rather than years, we want to hear from you.

This role will be based in Huntsville, Alabama with 35-50% travel to our Costa Mesa HQ and RMS manufacturing sites in MS, NC, and other RMS facilities. Relocation assistance provided.
What You'll Do
  • Develop and maintain Material Specifications for raw materials, components, and assemblies across all RMS systems including propellants, cases (metal and composite), ablatives, insulators, adhesives, coatings, and nozzle materials
  • Create Process Specifications for manufacturing operations including propellant processing, composite fabrication (filament winding, tape-wrapping, compression molding), ablative component manufacturing, bonding and surface preparation, heat treatment, coating application, and final assembly processes
  • Develop Standard Acceptance Test Procedures and NDI technique sheets for incoming materials, in-process inspection, and finished hardware (X-ray, CT scan, ultrasonic, radiography)
  • Review and standardize existing work instructions into formal, configuration-controlled specifications with clearly defined process windows and acceptance criteria
  • Serve as the subject matter expert for materials selection, processing, and qualification across solid rocket motor systems including propellants, cases, thermal protection systems, nozzles, igniters, and other energetic components. You'll be the technical authority that Design and Manufacturing teams rely on
  • Lead materials characterization programs including mechanical testing, thermal analysis, rheology, cure kinetics, and ablation performance evaluation; develop design allowables per industry standards (CMH-17, JANNAF) to enable high-confidence design decisions
  • Provide materials and process expertise to Design and Manufacturing teams; review drawings and manufacturing plans, support design reviews, and troubleshoot production issues
  • Drive material and process qualifications from development through production readiness; manage supplier technical relationships and qualification activities
  • Lead failure investigations and root cause analyses for material-related anomalies; participate in MRBs, FRBs, ERBs, and PCBs
  • Interface with engineering, manufacturing, quality, and program teams to translate mission requirements into robust material and process solutions
  • Drive cost reduction and cycle time improvement initiatives to enable high-rate production-your process optimizations will directly impact program economics and delivery timelines
  • Mentor junior engineers and prepare technical documentation including specifications, test reports, and presentations
  • Work directly with leadership to shape RMS's M&P strategy, tooling investments, and capability roadmap as the organization scales
Required Qualifications
  • Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field
  • 5+ years of materials and process engineering experience in aerospace, propulsion, or defense applications
  • Proven experience developing material specifications and process specifications for production programs
  • Strong technical background in multiple areas such as:
  • Experience with material characterization, testing, and documentation
  • Strong technical writing skills and attention to detail
  • Experience troubleshooting manufacturing processes and leading root cause investigations
  • Ability to manage multiple priorities independently in a fast-paced environment
  • Ability to obtain and hold a U.S. Top Secret security clearance
Preferred Qualifications
  • Direct experience with solid rocket motor systems including propellants, motor cases, nozzles, thermal protection systems, or energetic components
  • Hands-on experience with propellant processing, composite fabrication, ablative manufacturing, or metal case production
  • Experience developing design allowables per CMH-17, JANNAF, or MIL-HDBK-17 standards
  • Experience with NDI methods and developing inspection procedures
  • Familiarity with MIL-STDs, AIAA standards, and JANNAF best practices
  • Knowledge of rocket motor design, internal ballistics, and combustion environments
  • Experience participating in Engineering Review Boards, Material Review Boards, and Failure Review Boards
  • Experience transitioning processes from development to production in agile environments


US Salary Range

$146,000-$194,000 USD

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Anduril's total compensation package. Additionally, Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including:

Benefits

At Anduril, we invest in our people. Our comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) ensures you're supported in health, recovery, and whatever comes next. For more information, Explore Our Benefits.

About Anduril Industries

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company that develops advanced systems for the military. The company was founded in 2017 by Palmer Luckey, Trae Stephens, and Matt Grimm, and has since grown to become a major player in the defense industry. Anduril's products include autonomous drones, surveillance systems, and other advanced technologies that are designed to enhance military capabilities. The company has received significant funding from investors and has partnerships with several major defense contractors. Anduril is headquartered in Mountain View, California.
Learn more about Anduril Industries
Size
200 employees
Industry
Founded
2017

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