ZipRecruiter

Log In

1

Ballistic Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Stahl Companies

Systems Engineer (Senior)

San Diego, CA · On-site

$110K - $151K/yr

... Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) systems. Responsibilities * Lead systems engineering efforts across the full system lifecycle, including requirements development, design, integration, testing, and ...

STAHL

Systems Engineer (Senior)

San Diego, CA · On-site

$110K - $151K/yr

... Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) systems. Responsibilities * Lead systems engineering efforts across the full system lifecycle, including requirements development, design, integration, testing, and ...

next page

Showing results 1-20

All JobsBallistic Engineer Jobs

Ballistic Engineer information

See salary details

$44K

$106.4K

$173.5K

How much do ballistic engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 29, 2026, the average yearly pay for ballistic engineer in the United States is $106,386.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $76,000.00 and $132,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

How much does a ballistics engineer make?

Ballistic engineers typically earn a median annual salary of around $70,000 to $100,000, depending on experience, education, and location. Advanced roles or those with specialized skills in weapons testing, forensic analysis, or research may offer higher compensation. Certifications and security clearances can also influence salary levels.

What is the difference between Ballistic Engineer vs Ballistics Analyst?

AspectBallistic EngineerBallistics Analyst
Required CredentialsBachelor's in Mechanical, Aerospace, or Materials Engineering; knowledge of ballistics and materials testingBachelor's in Forensic Science, Criminal Justice, or related; expertise in firearm and projectile analysis
Work EnvironmentResearch labs, defense contractors, aerospace companiesCrime labs, law enforcement agencies, forensic laboratories
Employer & Industry UsageDefense, aerospace, research institutionsLaw enforcement, forensic investigation, legal proceedings

While both roles involve understanding projectiles and their behavior, Ballistic Engineers focus on designing and testing weapons and materials, whereas Ballistics Analysts analyze firearm evidence for investigations. The roles differ mainly in their application—engineering versus forensic analysis—though they share foundational knowledge of ballistics principles.

What engineers make $500,000?

Highly experienced engineers in specialized fields such as petroleum engineering, aerospace engineering, or software engineering with senior or executive roles can earn $500,000 or more annually. These positions often require advanced skills, certifications, and extensive industry experience, and may include bonuses or stock options.

What engineers make $300,000 a year?

Senior engineers in specialized fields such as petroleum, aerospace, or software engineering can earn $300,000 or more annually, especially with extensive experience, advanced skills, and leadership roles. High-paying engineering positions often require advanced degrees, professional certifications, and work in high-demand industries or management positions.

What does a ballistic engineer do?

A ballistic engineer designs, tests, and analyzes projectiles and weapon systems to ensure their accuracy, safety, and effectiveness. They use principles of physics, mathematics, and engineering, often working with computer simulations and specialized testing equipment. Their work supports defense, aerospace, and law enforcement applications.
More about Ballistic Engineer jobs
What cities are hiring for Ballistic Engineer jobs? Cities with the most Ballistic Engineer job openings:
What states have the most Ballistic Engineer jobs? States with the most job openings for Ballistic Engineer jobs include:
What job categories do people searching Ballistic Engineer jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Ballistic Engineer jobs are:
Ballistic Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Ballistic Engineer job openings in the United States as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 92% Full Time, and 8% Part Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $106,386 per year, or $51.1 per hour.

Development Engineer, Solid Rocket Motors

Furientis

Los Angeles, CA • On-site

Full-time

Posted 16 days ago

Job description

America is critically deficient in production of defensive munitions- we currently produce shipborne interceptors in the few hundreds per year while our adversaries are producing offensive threats in the tens of thousands per year. Furientis was started to help solve this problem- introducing a new class of cost-effective, high production rate, interceptor missiles. We're seeking motivated individuals who internalize this problem and are eager to apply their past experience in similar industries (aerospace, defense, automotive/racing, robotics) and out of the box thinking to solve this problem for the US and its allies.
About the Team

The Propulsion Team designs, builds, and flies the solid rocket motors that power our interceptor. We own the chemistry, the motor and grain design, the ground test campaigns, and the range operations. 

About the Role

We are looking for a development engineer who will own the design of our solid rocket motors. That covers motor architecture, grain design, internal ballistics, performance prediction, igniter design, case and nozzle integration, and the work of tying predicted, ground-tested, and flight-test motor behavior together so the model keeps getting better after every fire. You will report to the Head of Propulsion.

This is a hands-on role for someone sharp and practical who is comfortable owning a discipline without an expert above them. When a decision needs to be made, bring real design options and the analysis behind them, then go execute.

Every design decision is also a unit-cost decision, and we expect you to design accordingly.

What You'll Do
  • Make the architecture calls for both motor programs.
  • Own grain design and internal ballistics.
  • Build motor performance models for total impulse, peak and average thrust, specific impulse, and throat erosion.
  • Design the dual-pulse architecture.
  • Design the head-end igniters.
  • Own the case and nozzle integration. The structural design of the case may sit with the vehicle engineering team; coordinate with them on it.
  • Run ground test campaigns. Reduce the data so the ballistic model gets updated after every fire.
  • Write the burn-to-flight closure report for every motor we put in the air.
  • Support customer engagements and SBIR pursuits with quick concept work on additional motor sizes, especially when the revenue is real.
Skills We're Hiring For
  • B.S. in Aerospace, Mechanical, or Chemical Engineering, Physics, or related field.
  • 5+ years of hands-on solid rocket motor development. At least one motor program where you carried it from grain concept through ground test, ideally with flight history too.
  • Fluency with composite-propellant solid motor design.
  • Working fluency with at least one internal-ballistic code and one thermochemistry code. You should also be able to validate or extend those tools from first principles when they fall short.
  • Comfortable in modern CAD. We use NX, but the package itself is not the bar.
  • Hands-on ground test experience: instrumentation planning, test card writing, post-test data reduction.
  • Able to defend every major performance prediction with first-principles analysis.
  • A real track record of meeting motor performance without reaching for exotic chemistry or hard-to-source materials. No high-energy oxidizers, no nano-aluminum, no exotic binders.
  • AI-native working style: daily use of agentic coding tools (Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, or similar) for ballistic-code scripting, performance prediction, and post-test data reduction.
Bonus Points For
  • Direct dual-pulse motor design or dual-thrust grain experience (pulse-separation devices, dividers, multi-composition grains).
  • Tactical, munition, or missile-class motor design experience.
  • Familiarity with insensitive munitions (IM) protocols.
  • Head-end igniter design experience.
  • Hands-on grain casting or hands-on tooling design, so you know what you are asking of the manufacturing engineer when you change geometry.
  • Custom internal-ballistic code authorship.
  • Out-of-domain background that gives you practical, first-principles intuition (automotive, motorsports, EVTOL, robotics, hobbyist high-power rocketry). We actively want people who can solve solid motor problems without dragging legacy-prime habits with them.

Eligibility & Logistics Location: On-site at our Los Angeles, CA HQ; remote work is not available. Monthly weekend travel for test events and supplier engagements. Clearance: A clearance is not required for this position. Must be a U.S. Person.

Equal Opportunity & Export Compliance Furientis is an equal-opportunity employer. To comply with U.S. export control laws, employment is contingent on eligibility to access export-controlled information.

AI assists in reviewing applications. Humans make final hiring decisions. Contact us with questions.