Ballistician​/Firehawk Aerospace

Firehawk Aerospace is a leading propulsion-focused aerospace and defense company located in Addison, TX. Our innovative approach empowers us to design and manufacture cutting-edge solid and hybrid rocket motors and engines. We aim to push the boundaries of propulsion technology to serve both commercial and defense sectors.

As a Ballistician (Solid Rocket Motor Performance Engineer), the selected candidate will lead and own the analysis and design of solid rocket motor grain geometries and nozzles across the portfolio of programs  selected candidate is expected to have foundational expertise in thermodynamics, heat transfer, and fluid mechanics, culminating in detailed understanding of multi-physics, reacting flows for solid rocket motor combustion analysis.

Candidate will be responsible for generating rocket motor concepts from high level thrust/burn time requirements, and refining into detailed grain and nozzle designs, analyzed via In-house scripts, SPP and ANSYS Fluent. The selected candidate will be responsible for working with design engineers to communicate operating pressures, thermal-structural engineers to communicate temperature and load profiles, R&D to communicate ballistic requirements, and manufacturing engineers to ensure grain geometry can be produced.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or Chemical Engineering with a minimum of 7 years of experience in internal ballistics analysis of solid rocket motor systems
• Time management, organization, interpersonal skills, communication, and teamwork skills
• Ability to clearly present technical information to all organizations at all levels.
• Strong understanding of internal, external, and terminal ballistics fundamental principles.
• Able to develop and maintain analytical models that predict ballistic performance under varied environmental and operational conditions.
• Able to prepare clear, detailed technical reports summarizing analytical findings, methodologies, and recommendations.
• Ability to mentor and train younger engineers on ballistics analysis.

• 10+ years of experience in Ansys (or equivalent FEA software) performing multi-physics reacting flow combustion CFD
• Master’s or PhD in aerospace, mechanical, or civil engineering with a focus on composite material systems
• Experience reducing strand burner data to determine burn rate properties of propellants
• Experience coupling the internal flow field of the rocket motor to the viscoelastic response of the propellant
• Experience deriving and determining non-chemical enhanced burn rate phenomena (i.e. ambient temperature induced, rotational acceleration induced, radiation induced, erosive induced etc.)
• Experience performing analysis on ablative nozzles. Experience producing shock and vibe analysis on SRM.
• Experience using Matlab, Python, PTC Creo (or an equivalent CAD software)

ITAR Requirements To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Benefits at Firehawk Aerospace At Firehawk Aerospace, we are committed to supporting the well-being of our employees and their families. Our comprehensive benefits package is designed to provide peace of mind and help you thrive both personally and professionally.

• Health Coverage:
  We offer 100% employer-paid medical premiums for employees and up to 75% coverage for dependents under select plans, with additional options for PPO and HDHP plans. Coverage begins the first of the…