Principal Propulsion Engineer, UAS Systems

Principal Propulsion Engineer, UAS Systems

About Us

We’re a combat-tested group of engineers, operators, and entrepreneurs who believe America’s edge depends on autonomous airpower that’s trusted and deployable today not in 2040. Backed by tier-one investors, we’ve secured the runway – financial, regulatory, and literal – to move at startup speed while tackling a national-security mission that matters. We’ve structured the company for radical ownership: no silos, no “systems integrator” overhead, just tightly knit mission-focused IPTs that live and breathe the hardware and code they ship.

If you thrive where hard-tech ambition meets national-security urgency, you’ll build faster here than anywhere else. Let’s get after it.

• Strong Core Values, Startup Execution. Integrity, Service Before Self, Excellence, Honor, Courage, Commitment—powered by a bias for action and a “figure it out” mindset.
• Self-Starters Only. You’ll have clear objectives, a blank sheet of paper, and the trust (plus capital) to move fast. Bureaucracy stays out of your way.
• One Team, No Tourists. Whether you’re tuning a control law at 2 a.m. or heat-treating a Ti-6
  
  Al-4V spar, everyone sweats the details. We celebrate wins together and own failures together.

• Own the Propulsion Architecture
  • Lead engine selection and sizing trades
  • Define propulsion system architecture including nacelle, mounts, fuel, controls, and thermal integration
  • Tie propulsion performance to mission modeling and aircraft-level requirements
• Drive Aircraft-Level Integration
  • Lead engine-to-airframe integration across structures, aerodynamics, avionics, and autonomy
  • Define propulsion interfaces and manage integration risks
  • Partner cross-functionally to retire vibration, thermal, and installation risks early
• Serve as primary technical interface with engine OEMs
• Evaluate performance guarantees, integration constraints, and certification pedigree
• Ensure long‑lead propulsion risks are proactively managed
• Enable Certification & Airworthiness
  • Support FAA and/or military airworthiness compliance strategy
  • Contribute to propulsion‑related hazard analyses and safety documentation
  • Help shape the path from experimental testing to certified operations
• Support Test & Validation
  • Define propulsion ground and flight test instrumentation strategies
  • Correlate models with test data
  • Own performance validation against mission requirements

• Deep Propulsion Expertise
  • 10+ years of experience in aircraft propulsion or propulsion integration
  • Experience integrating turboprop and/or small turbofan engines
  • Strong understanding of engine performance, SFC, installation effects, and mission sizing
• Aircraft‑Level Systems Thinking
  • Experience leading propulsion integration on a clean‑sheet or major derivative program
  • Working knowledge of structural loads, vibration, thermal management, and FADEC integration
  • Comfort operating at aircraft architecture level, not just component level
• Technical Leadership
  • Experience interfacing directly with engine OEMs or Tier 1 suppliers
  • Ability to lead trade studies and defend architecture decisions at design reviews
  • Strong written and verbal technical communication skills
  • Analytical Rigor
  • Proficiency in MATLAB, Python, or similar tools
  • Experience correlating analytical models with ground or flight test data

• FAA Part 23 or Part 25 propulsion certification experience
• Military airworthiness or DoD program experience
• Experience with MBSE tools (e.g., Cameo)
• Experience integrating propulsion with autonomy or unmanned systems

Base Salary: $165,000 to 245,000 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 Atropos's total compensation package.

Additionally, Atropos offers top‑tier benefits for full-time employees, including:

• Platinum Healthcare Benefits:
  Atropos…