Propulsion Engineer, Test

Location:

Onsite - Leander, TX;
Engagement:
Full-Time

Reports to:

Director of Engineering

Wild West Systems is a rapidly moving and growing early-stage American defense technology company with the mission to equip the civilized world with superior, affordable, and advanced technologies to dominate the battlefield of present and future threats. In this new era of asymmetrical warfare, we fuse versatile domain experience with novel approach and creativity to change the paradigm of defense in both military arenas and civilian soft targets.

The role requires designing, building, and supporting propulsion and ballistic test setups, fixtures, and test rigs. Other responsibilities include assisting with CAD modeling, fixture design, and mechanical updates. We would also expect someone to develop propulsion characterization and static test plans.

• Design and administer ballistic test setups, fixtures, and test rigs.
• CAD and mechanical design.
• Characterization and static test plans.
• Design, configure, and operate DAQ systems, instrumentation, and sensors integrations.
• Conduct rocket static thrust stand testing and other propulsion-related test campaigns.
• Perform data reduction, analysis, and post-test reporting.
• Support hardware manufacturing, assembly, integration, and troubleshooting.
• Create and maintain work instructions, safety procedures, and technical documentation.
• Support flight tests and ground tests, diagnose performance issues, and iterate quickly.

• CAD modeling proficiency (Solid Works, Onshape, or equivalent tools).
• Familiarity with instrumentations, sensors, and DAQ systems (pressure transducers, load cells, strain gauges, thermocouples, optical measurements, etc.).
• Electrical systems and wiring.
• Experience designing test fixtures, fixturing, or mechanical test rigs.
• Experience with mechanical assembly, fabrication, and hardware integration (machine shop experience a plus).
• Mechanical engineering fundamentals.
• ITAR Requirement:
  To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen, or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 9 U.S.C. Section 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C Section 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here.

• Experience with solid rocket motors or propulsion systems, (solid propellant mixing, energetics handling, and cure cycles).
• Clean room experience.
• Experience with high-speed data acquisition systems.
• Familiarity with LabVIEW, MATLAB, Python, or similar analysis tools.
• Welding, machining, and fabrication experience.
• Aerospace or Defense environments.
• Bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering.