R&D Engineer II (SRM Ballistician) (Remote Option Available)

General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (OTS) is a global leader in the design, engineering, and production of munitions, energetics, weapons, armaments, and missile subsystems. OTS empowers the U.S. military and its allies with an extensive range of product segments applied across all levels of strategic and tactical operations. Our ethos of honesty, trust, transparency, and alignment guides everything we do, fostering a culture of integrity, innovation, customer satisfaction, and collaboration.

About the Role

We are seeking a Ballistician to join our Solid Rocket Motor Engineering Team. The ideal candidate will generate rocket motor concepts from high-level thrust/burn time requirements and refine them into detailed grain and nozzle designs. This role involves collaboration to define propellant grain geometries and optimize burn rates, thrust curves, and pressure profiles. You will work with design engineers, analysts, chemists, and manufacturing engineers to ensure designs are producible and meet performance requirements.

This is a full-time position with a 9/80 schedule, available remotely or at our Huntsville, AL or Hampton, AR facility.

Responsibilities

• Conduct research, design, and development activities to create new or improved products, processes, or services.
• Collaborate with internal manufacturing partners, contract manufacturers, designers, and product specialists to optimize designs for manufacturability.
• Apply research theories, principles, and models when conducting experiments and research activities.
• Conduct market research, track projects, build spreadsheets evaluating trade space, design presentation slides, and execute business-oriented tasks.
• Summarize research results and communicate findings to internal and external stakeholders.
• Assess the scope of research projects and ensure they are on time and within budget.
• Develop technical documentation for all projects.
• Utilize CAD (Computer Aided Design) or CAE (Computer Aided Engineering) systems to model new designs and produce detailed engineering drawings.
• Develop rocket motor concepts to meet customer requirements.
• Refine grain geometries and optimize burn rates, thrust, and pressure curves in collaboration with stakeholders.
• Lead static fire test campaigns and ground-based prototyping; analyze test data to validate performance and investigate anomalies.
• Reduce strand burner, subscale, and full-scale motor data to determine burn rate properties of propellants.
• Oversee propellant casting, curing cycles, and review tool designs.

Requirements

• Associate's Degree in Engineering (required).
• 2-4 years of relevant experience.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
• Must be able to remain stationary at a desk and/or computer for extended periods.
• Requires regular movement throughout GD-OTS facilities.
• Up to 25% travel likely.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering.
• Skills in product innovation, research, project scoping, quantitative analysis, and research documentation.
• Strong oral and written communication, critical thinking, and analytical skills.

Pay

The salary range for this position is $82,400–$111,500 (USD). Individual pay is determined by work location, job-related skills, experience, internal equity, and relevant education or training.

Hired applicants may be eligible to participate in the Company’s Gain Sharing Program.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, short- and long-term disability, and basic life insurance.
• Pre-tax spending accounts.
• 401k plan with Non-Contributory Retirement Contribution.
• Voluntary benefits: Critical Illness Insurance, Accident Insurance, Identity Theft Protection, Enhanced Legal Services, Auto and Home Insurance, Pet Insurance, Commuter Benefits, Hospital Indemnity Insurance.
• Educational Assistance.
• 11 paid holidays and 120 hours of PTO annually.
• Up to 3 weeks of paid family leave.

Schedule

Full-time position with a 9/80 work schedule.