Senior/SME Propulsion Engineer – Long-Range Weapons

Title:

Senior/SME Propulsion Engineer – Long-Range Weapons

Belong. Connect. Grow. with KBR!

KBR’s National Security Solutions team provides high-end engineering and advanced technology solutions to our customers in the intelligence and national security communities. In this position, your work will have a profound impact on the country’s most critical role – protecting our national security.

Why Join Us?

• Innovative Projects: KBR’s work is at the forefront of engineering, logistics, operations, science, program management, mission IT and cybersecurity solutions.
• Collaborative Environment: Be part of a dynamic team that thrives on collaboration and innovation, fostering a supportive and intellectually stimulating workplace.
• Impactful Work: Your contributions will be pivotal in developing and fielding advanced long-range weapon capabilities that ensure national security and strengthen the future joint force.

Position Summary:

KBR is seeking a highly experienced Senior to SME-level Propulsion Engineering professional to support a U.S. Government program office developing and fielding advanced long-range weapon systems. This position will provide expert technical and programmatic support across propulsion architecture, design, integration, performance assessment, risk reduction, test, qualification, production transition, and fielding. The ideal candidate possesses deep experience with missile propulsion systems and has supported air-to-air, air-to-ground, or other long-range precision weapon programs through development, integration, test, production, and operational deployment.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a senior technical advisor to the Government program office on propulsion technologies, architectures, performance, integration, producibility, and technical risk for long-range air-to-air and air-to-ground weapon systems.
• Evaluate contractor propulsion concepts, designs, development plans, technical baselines, performance claims, risk-reduction activities, qualification approaches, and maturation strategies.
• Assess solid rocket motor technologies, including propellant formulations, grain design, case materials, insulation, liners, igniters, nozzles, thrust-vector control, safe-and-arm features, and insensitive-munitions considerations.
• Assess air-breathing and advanced propulsion technologies, as applicable, including ramjet, ducted-rocket, turbine-based, or other propulsion concepts; inlets; combustors; fuel systems; thermal management; and associated controls.
• Evaluate single-stage, dual-pulse, variable-thrust, multi-stage, boost-sustain, and other propulsion architectures against mission performance, range, speed, maneuverability, time-to-target, size, weight, cost, safety, and producibility requirements.
• Assess propulsion performance across representative air-to-air and air-to-ground missions, launch conditions, flight envelopes, engagement geometries, altitude and temperature extremes, storage environments, aging conditions, and operational employment scenarios.
• Support Government evaluation of propulsion requirements, specifications, interface definitions, verification methods, technical performance measures, qualification criteria, and requirements traceability.
• Evaluate propulsion integration with the weapon airframe, guidance and control system, power and thermal systems, ignition and initiation systems, separation hardware, flight-control actuators, launch platform, and carriage and release interfaces.
• Assess contractor modeling, simulation, subscale testing, component testing, static-fire testing, environmental testing, aging and surveillance testing, hardware-in-the-loop activities, flight testing, and live-fire approaches used to verify propulsion performance and safety.
• Analyze propulsion test data, anomalies, failure investigations, root-cause assessments, corrective actions, and technical trade studies; identify implications for weapon performance, safety, cost, schedule, qualification, production, and fielding risk.
• Support technical reviews, design reviews, test readiness reviews, qualification reviews, production readiness reviews, program reviews, source selections, proposal evaluations, and other acquisition activities requiring independent propulsion expertise.
• Research comparable missile propulsion approaches across the Department of War, allied programs, industry, and the broader technology base to identify applicable technologies, lessons learned, supplier capabilities, and risk-reduction opportunities.
• Evaluate opportunities to improve propulsion affordability, range, energy management, modularity, commonality, safety, producibility, scalability, storage life, surveillance requirements, and resilience to supply-chain disruption.
• Assess technology maturity, integration readiness, critical materials, energetics availability, supplier dependencies, manufacturing processes, obsolescence, environmental compliance, insensitive-munitions compliance, and transition-to-production risks associated with propulsion solutions.
• Develop independent technical assessments, risk summaries, decision papers, briefing materials, test recommendations, qualification recommendations, and courses of action for Government stakeholders.
• Advise Government leaders on the propulsion-related implications of acquisition strategies, contractor proposals, schedule assumptions, technical trades, test results, production decisions, and fielding plans.

Work Environment

• Location: On-site, Eglin AFB, FL
• Travel Requirements: approximately 25%
• Working Hours: Standard work schedule; core hours 0900–1500

Qualifications

Required

• Active Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility.
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Propulsion Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 15+ years of relevant experience in missile propulsion, rocket motors, air-breathing propulsion, energetics, propulsion integration, or closely related defense or aerospace system development; candidates may be considered at the Senior or SME level based on experience and technical depth.
• Demonstrated technical experience with missile propulsion systems, including design, development, integration, performance analysis, qualification, test, production, or technical oversight.
• Experience supporting air-to-air or air-to-ground missiles, long-range weapons, precision-guided munitions, hypersonic systems, or comparable advanced weapon-system programs.
• Strong understanding of propulsion thermodynamics, internal ballistics, combustion, thrust and impulse performance, grain or combustor design, ignition, nozzle performance, structural and thermal loads, safety, aging, and weapon-system integration.
• Experience evaluating propulsion requirements, architectures, contractor designs, modeling and simulation results, qualification plans, test data, anomalies, manufacturing readiness, and technical risk.
• Ability to independently assess complex propulsion issues, identify key risks and uncertainties, and develop actionable recommendations for Government decision-makers.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced Government program office environment and communicate technical findings to engineering, acquisition, test, safety, manufacturing, operational, and senior leadership stakeholders.

Desired

• Advanced degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Propulsion Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 20+ years of missile, rocket, air-breathing propulsion, energetics, or advanced weapon-system experience, including recognized subject-matter expertise in propulsion development, integration, qualification, test, or production.
• Experience with solid rocket motors, dual-pulse or variable-thrust motors, ducted rockets, ramjets, turbine-based propulsion, hypersonic propulsion, or other advanced propulsion concepts.
• Experience with propellant formulation, grain design, combustion stability, ignition systems, nozzles, thrust-vector control, motor cases, insulation, liners, thermal protection, or propulsion-control systems.
• Experience assessing propulsion performance under extreme environmental, storage, aging, carriage, launch, and flight conditions, including insensitive-munitions and system-safety considerations.
• Experience planning, executing, or evaluating component, subscale, static-fire, environmental, aging, surveillance, flight-test, and live-fire propulsion test programs.
• Experience evaluating contractor proposals, technical baselines, statements of work, specifications, qualification strategies, production plans, cost and schedule assumptions, or source-selection materials in support of Government acquisition decisions.
• Prior experience supporting a Government program office, System Program Office, acquisition organization, developmental test organization, safety review organization, defense prime, rocket motor manufacturer, or propulsion supplier.

Ready to Make a Difference?

If you’re excited about making a significant impact in the field of advanced weapon systems and working on projects that matter, we encourage you to apply and join our team at KBR. Let's shape the future together.

KBR Benefits

KBR offers a selection of competitive lifestyle benefits which could include 401K plan with company match, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, AD&D, flexible spending account, disability, paid time off, or flexible work schedule. We support career advancement through professional training and development.

Belong, Connect and Grow at KBR

At KBR, we are passionate about our people and our Zero Harm culture.  These inform all that we do and are at the heart of our commitment to, and ongoing journey toward being a People First company.  That commitment is central to our team of team’s philosophy and fosters an environment where everyone can Belong, Connect and Grow. We Deliver – Together. 

KBR is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, union status and/or beliefs, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.