Chief Engineer, Hypersonic Missile and Interceptor
$175,000–$230,000 year
On-siteBerthoud, Colorado, United States
Job Summary
Own and maintain the vehicle system architecture, technical baseline, and configuration for the Draper Engine Hypersonic program. Serve as the final technical decision authority for design trades, requirements allocation, and risk acceptance across propulsion, structures, avionics, GNC, and thermal systems. Lead vehicle-level systems engineering, including requirements flow-down, verification, and validation, while chairing technical reviews from SRR through FRR. Partner with Program Management to balance performance, cost, and schedule, and support proposal efforts and customer technical interchange meetings. Define and approve vehicle-level test strategies for ground testing, qualification, and flight readiness, providing technical sign-off for flight authorization. Provide technical leadership and mentorship to subsystem leads and senior engineers to foster engineering rigor and rapid execution.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field
- 12+ years of experience in aerospace vehicle development, including system-level ownership
- Prior experience serving as a Chief Engineer, Lead Systems Engineer, or Vehicle Architect on a flight vehicle or missile system
- Deep understanding of propulsion integration, vehicle dynamics, and system trades
- Demonstrated experience leading vehicles through design reviews, test campaigns, and flight readiness
- Ability to clearly communicate complex technical decisions to executive leadership and customers
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and stay flexible based on customer demands and company priorities along with daily firefighting
- Ability to make sound technical decisions under schedule and performance pressure
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Must be a U.S. Person (this includes U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents)
- Eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. Security Clearance
Desired Qualifications
- Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering or related field
- Experience with hypersonic vehicles, missiles, launch vehicles, or advanced propulsion systems
- Familiarity with thermal, structural, and aero integration challenges in hypersonic regimes
- Experience in design and analysis of fluids systems
- Experience operating in ISO 9001 or AS9100 certified organizations
- Experience with SMC-S-016 Test Requirements
- Background working with DoD, DARPA, or classified programs
- Familiarity with model-based systems engineering (MBSE) tools
- Experience scaling a vehicle program from prototype to production
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