SRM - Solid Rocket Motor Engineer Full-time position is mostly REMOTE but must work onsite in Arlington VA a lot in the beginning, then later, one week a month. Eventually will need to travel a lot to Hurt, VA when manufacturing site is up and running.
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AVIO USA is a brand-new greenfield start-up subsidiary of international aerospace company AVIO (Rome, Italy). Avio USA HQ is located in Arlington, VA (Washington, DC) and is in the process of opening a new manufacturing facility from scratch in Hurt, VA (between Danville & Lynchburg). The CEO of AVIO USA is retired US Navy Vice Admiral James "Jim" Syring, former Director of the US Missile Defense Agency. The new facility will support the U.S. Dept. of War’s effort to ramp up missile production for the Mk 104 program, the U.S. Navy dual-thrust SRM – Solid Rocket Motor. Raytheon and AVIO USA have executed a purchase order of $26 million for continued engineering work. The Mk 104 works in tandem with the Mk 72 first-stage booster and other throttling sys. (like TDACS) to deliver extended range and precision targeting. News | RTX's Raytheon and Avio USA expand collaboration to accelerate Mk 104 rocket motor production | RTX AVIO will invest $500 million to establish an 860,000 square-foot manufacturing facility in Hurt, VA. The new facility will produce Solid Rocket Motors for defense, tactile propulsion, missile systems, and the commercial space sectors. Governor announces Avio USA to bring jobs to Hurt • City of Danville. The parent company AVIO S.p.A. is headquartered in Rome, Italy (Colleferro) and is engaged in the manufacturing and development of space launchers and solid, liquid and cryogenic propulsion systems, payload adapters, and military tactical missiles. They are a Solid Rocket Motor subcontractor for the design and manufacturing of many European tactical missile programs and serve as the prime contractor of the Vega launcher, and a sub-contractor for the Ariane launcher. AVIO is listed on the Italian Stock Exchange and is experiencing dramatic growth with 23% increase in revenue in 2025 to EUR 542 Million. They have 7 primary locations in 3 countries, including Italy (Rome, Rivalta di Torino, Airola), France (Paris), USA (Arlington, VA & Hurt, VA) and French Guiana (Kourou). https://www.avio.com/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AVIO USA is building a subsidiary from scratch in the USA and needs to hire 5 Solid Rocket Motor Engineers (employees #3 - #7). These can be at the Junior, Mid, or Senior level to work on the design and manufacturing of SRMs (Solid Rocket Motors). These engineers must have experience in Propulsion, Thermal, Energetics, and/or Aerospace Mechanical Engineering whose core focus has been on the design, development, and/or subcontractor management of SRMs. They are seeking engineers that will be excited about being "very hands-on" and bring a "roll up your sleeves and figure it out" mindset to help build a new SRM manufacturing facility from scratch. Must be comfortable dealing with a lot of ambiguity. • Must work onsite 5 days a week in Arlington, VA (Washington, DC) during the first 6 months, then one week a month afterward. The Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) Engineer will be responsible for the end-to-end design, analysis, and qualification of solid propulsion systems. This role blends mechanical design, materials science, and internal ballistics to create reliable motors for defense and space applications. SRM Engineers will lead the development of SRM components — including cases, nozzles, and propellant grains —ensuring they meet strict performance and safety standards. You will work within a multidisciplinary team to optimize thrust profiles and manage the transition from conceptual design to full-scale manufacturing. They will partner closely with Raytheon and Boston Consulting. CORE RESPONSIBILITIES: • Design & Analysis: Create and refine CAD models for motor components like nozzles, throats, and insulators using tools such as SolidWorks or Siemens NX. Perform 2D and 3D structural analysis (FEA) to ensure integrity under extreme pressures and temperatures. • Ballistics Optimization: Collaborate with analysts to define propellant grain geometries and optimize burn rates, thrust curves, and pressure profiles. • Testing & Qualification: Lead static fire test campaigns and ground-based prototyping. Analyze test data to validate performance and investigate any anomalies. • Manufacturing Oversight: Oversee propellant casting, curing cycles, and the implementation of advanced manufacturing techniques like additive manufacturing or composite tape wrapping. • Safety & Compliance: Ensure all designs and handling procedures adhere to energetic material safety standards and DOD/NASA regs. REQUIREMENTS • Must have an Aerospace/Mechanical/Chemical Engineering (or similar) degree and 2 or more years of experience working on the design and manufacturing of SRMs (Solid Rocket Motors). Must have experience in Propulsion, Thermal, Energetics, and/or Aerospace Mechanical Engineering with core focus on the design, development, and/or subcontractor management of SRMs. They are seeking engineers that will be excited about being "very hands-on" and bring a "roll up your sleeves and figure it out" mindset to help build a new SRM manufacturing facility from scratch. Must be comfortable dealing with a lot of ambiguity. • TRAVEL & RELOCATION: ◦ 1st YEAR: Must work onsite 5 days a week in Arlington, VA (Washington, DC) during the first 6 months, then one week a month as needed. The ideal candidate will live near Arlington. (AVIO USA office address: 1550 Crystal Drive, Suite 500, Arlington, VA, 22202) ◦ 2nd YEAR: Once the facility is up and running - If you cannot relocate, you must be able to make frequent trips for weeks at a time to Hurt, VA. Ideally, they would want you to relocate to Hurt, VA area within 1-1/2 years to help get the new manufacturing facility up and running. But just traveling there often may be an option for everyone except the Chemical/Propellant experts who will have to be onsite. Hurt is located 30 miles south of Lynchburg, VA (pop. 80k), and 40 miles north of Danville, VA (pop. 40k). The new hire will also need to regularly travel to Arlington, VA (3.5 hours from Hurt, VA). • Must have GREAT communication skills with exceptional ability to manage complex stakeholder relationships, particularly between international parent companies and U.S. defense primes like Raytheon. • The positions will focus on design, analysis (FEA/thermal), and testing of propulsion hardware (nozzles, structures, propellant systems) and will require structural or thermal experience within a defense program. • Must be US Citizen with ability to obtain a U.S. Secret Security Clearance for ITAR restrictions. • Ideal candidate will have experience with several (not all) of these key technical skills, including SRM – Solid Rocket Motor Propulsion, ANSYS mechanical (or Abaqus), FEA (Finite Element Analysis) for Nozzle / Propellant / Grain / Thermal / High Temp / High Pressure / SolidWorks or Siemens NX, Testing (static fire, ground test), and Structural and Thermal analysis. • Must be strong in FEA/CFD simulation software ANSYS and understand thermodynamics and fluid mechanics. • Must have hands-on experience with Propellant Chemistry or energetic material handling. • Must have knowledge of Composite Pressure Vessel (COPV) design and filament winding and should be familiar with Insensitive Munitions (IM) protocols. • Should have some experience in several other domains, including Structural Components, SRM Performance, Structure Dynamics, Extreme Temperature Components, Materials and Process, Supply Chain / Procurement, and Quality Assurance.
