
Senior Solid Propulsion Development Engineer - Hypersonics
Required skills
- hypersonics vehicle
- propulsion systems
- spacecraft
- missile systems
- critical technologies
- civil space programs
- military space programs
- commercial space programs
- interdisciplinary team
- subcontractors
Nice to have
- rapid iteration environment
- DoD projects
- NASA projects
- aerospace development projects
- government test agencies
- free-jet test testing
Role summary
Leidos is seeking a Senior Solid Propulsion Development Engineer for hypersonics and other programs. This role involves leading the design, development, and testing of solid rocket motor components for a hypersonic vehicle. The engineer will interface with internal teams and external suppliers, conduct trade studies, and develop analysis tools. A Bachelor's degree in a STEM field with 8 years of relevant experience is required, along with knowledge of propulsion system requirements and testing. Experience with missile systems, project planning, and specific testing methods like free-jet testing are preferred. The position requires a Secret clearance and is based in Huntsville, AL.
Leidos is seeking a Solid Propulsion Development Engineer to lead and oversee work on a hypersonics vehicle and other programs, joining a diverse team that develops propulsion systems for spacecraft, missile systems, and a wide range of critical technologies for civil, military, and commercial space programs. This individual will work in a fast-paced, interdisciplinary team, interfacing with other project teams within Leidos as well as subcontractors to develop the solid propulsion system for a hypersonic vehicle.
Primary responsibilities:
- Serve as lead technical engineer for task focused on design and development of critical propulsion related hardware.
- Design, build, and test prototype solid rocket motor components.
- Understand and negotiate design elements with propulsion system suppliers.
Basic Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, or other STEM degree from an ABET accredited university.
- Minimum of 8 years of relevant experience in rocket propulsion development or test engineering roles, 6 years with a Master’s degree.
- Understanding of functional performance requirements as well as component designs for solid rocket motor applications.
- Experience in planning for and supporting ground testing of solid propulsion systems, including thermal characterization, environmental testing, and static firing.
- Demonstrated ability to conduct trade studies and develop analysis & evaluation tools.
- Knowledge of applicable standards and regulations, including manufacturing and testing policies and directives.
- Able to clearly write clear, concise, and comprehensive technical reports and present results to multi-disciplinary teams and customer stakeholders.
- Must be a resident of the North Alabama area or willing to relocate to the Huntsville - North Alabama, AL area.
- Active Secret security clearance required, with the ability to obtain a Top Secret clearance if needed.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Master’s degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, or similar from an ABET accredited university.
- Development testing experience in a rapid iteration environment.
- Experience with DoD, NASA, or other aerospace development projects.
- Experience working with government test agencies
- Experience with free-jet test testing, especially for solid-fuel ramjet (SFRJ) systems.
- Experience with missile systems in a production environment.
- Project planning and scheduling, including selection and management of multiple suppliers.
- Active Top Secret clearance.
If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares.
Original Posting:
October 6, 2026For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.
Pay Range:
Pay Range $107,900.00 - $195,050.00The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.
Sample Leidos interview questions
- 1
What are the key considerations when designing a highly available and consistent service registry?
system designmedium - 2
Buildings with an Ocean View Find all buildings that have an ocean view. Input: heights = [1,2,3,4] Output: [3] Explanation: Since the ocean is to the right, only the rightmost tallest building (index 3) is not blocked by any others.
codingmedium - 3
Merge K Sorted Linked Lists Merge K sorted linked lists. Input: lists = [[2,2,3],[1,5]] Output: [1,2,2,3,5] Explanation: Extracts the smallest current node iteratively using a priority queue to build a single merged and sorted linked list.
codingmedium - 4
Optimal Meeting Point Calculate the optimal meeting point for multiple people on a 2D grid. Input: grid = [[1,0],[0,1]] Output: 2 Explanation: The optimal meeting point is either (0,1) or (1,0), requiring exactly 1 step from each person resulting in a total distance of 2.
codingmedium - 5
Maximize the minimum distance between aggressive cows in stalls. Input: stalls = [0,4,3,7,10,9], cows = 3 Output: 4 Explanation: Placing the cows at positions 0, 4, and 10 yields a maximum possible minimum distance of 4 between any two cows.
codingmedium
Get started to unlock a personalized interview prep pack for this role.
Similar roles
Embedded Software Test EngineerLeidos · Huntsville, AL · Onsite
Software EngineerLeidos · Huntsville, AL · Onsite- Business Development Engineer IRocket Lab Corporation · Littleton, CO · Onsite
- Senior Software Development Engineer in TestVaricent · Remote · Remote
Product Development Engineer IIIHellermannTyton North America · Milwaukee, WI · Hybrid- Product Development Engineer IDIRECTV · Clarksburg, MD · Hybrid
