Propulsion Engineer

Wardstone is looking for a Propulsion Engineer to own the development of the main engine and divert systems that power our first product, Hailstorm. This includes gas generators, micro-thrusters, solid rocket motors (SRMs), high-pressure systems, fast-acting valves, detonation-assisted dispersal systems, and high-temperature/pressure fluid dynamics.

You will design, analyze, prototype, test, and iterate propulsion and dispersal hardware capable of producing extreme accelerations, high mass flow, and low latency response times.

You will work side-by-side with the founders, mechanical, electrical, and controls engineers.

Wardstone is looking for a Propulsion Engineer to own the development of the main engine and divert systems that power our first product, Hailstorm. This includes gas generators, micro-thrusters, solid rocket motors (SRMs), high-pressure systems, fast-acting valves, detonation-assisted dispersal systems, and high-temperature/pressure fluid dynamics.

You will design, analyze, prototype, test, and iterate propulsion and dispersal hardware capable of producing extreme accelerations, high mass flow, and low latency response times.

You will work side-by-side with the founders, mechanical, electrical, and controls engineers.

• Design and select compact propulsion and impulse systems: solid rocket motors, gas generators, and cold-gas thrusters.
• Perform solid propellant grain design and 3D burnback geometry analysis to tailor thrust curves (progressive, regressive, neutral).
• Model internal ballistics, combustion, mass flow, chamber pressures, and heat transfer.
• Select appropriate propellant formulations, internal insulation, and ablative nozzle materials to survive extreme thermal environments.
• Evaluate tradeoffs between solid, liquid, or hybrid propulsion architectures for specific interceptor flight regimes.

• Design motor casings, pressure vessels, regulators, burst disks, check valves, fast-response actuators, and timing mechanisms.
• Simulate structural integrity under high G’s and perform empirical testing.
• Integrate sensors (pressure, temperature, vibration) for test instrumentation and feedback.

Co-design the systems responsible for deploying Wardstone’s kinetic interceptor solution.

Model shock propagation, material acceleration, and high-velocity ejecta characteristics.

• Work closely with the detonation/energetics engineer to integrate igniter development (pyrogen/pyrotechnic), hybrid, or explosive-augmented systems.

• Use CFD, CEA, FEA, and custom simulation tools to evaluate propulsion behavior, including nozzle throat erosion and slag accumulation.
• Run data-driven design cycles: test -> instrument -> analyze -> redesign.
• Define requirements for Δv, rise time, thrust profiles, and thermal durability.

Plan and execute high-G tests, pressure tests, thermal tests, and solid motor static fires.

• Work with external test ranges, explosive facilities, instrumentation teams, and ensure strict safety protocols for handling energetic materials (Class 1.1/1.3).
• Develop test fixtures, data acquisition setups, and high-speed video capture systems.

Collaborate with mechanical engineers on structures that withstand high impulse loads and internal motor pressures.

• Collaborate with electrical engineers on ignition trains (ESDs, EBWs), actuation, and safety interlocks.
• Collaborate with controls engineers on predictor models and impulse sequencing.

• B.S. in Aerospace, Mechanical, Chemical Engineering, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience with propulsion design,…