Chief Engineer
US$175,000 – US$230,000 / yr base salary
Posted 6 Aug 2026
Advertised as “Chief Engineer, Hypersonic Missile and Interceptor”
BranchFactor Summary
The original posting with the fluff stripped out
- Expected experience
- 12+ yrs
- Management level
- People management
- Contract
- Full-time
| Base salary | US$175,000 – US$230,000 / yr |
|---|
Field of studyAerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering (or related)
Study levelBachelor's
Field of studyAerospace Engineering (or related)
Study levelMaster's or higher
The future of aerospace and defense starts here.
Ursa Major was founded to revolutionize how America and its allies access and apply high-performance propulsion, from hypersonics to solid rocket motors, satellite maneuvering and launch. We design and deliver propulsion and defense systems that solve the most urgent and critical national security demands.
Role Overview
Ursa Major is seeking a Chief Engineer, Hypersonic Missile & Interceptor to serve as the technical authority and architectural owner for the Draper Engine Hypersonic program. This individual will be accountable for the end-to-end vehicle technical baseline, ensuring the successful integration of propulsion, structures, avionics, GNC, thermal, and mission systems into a flight-worthy, scalable vehicle solution.
As Chief Engineer, you will provide technical leadership across the full lifecycle—from requirements definition and trade studies through design, integration, test, and flight operations—while partnering closely with Program Management, Manufacturing, Mission Assurance, and Business Development. This role is critical to delivering reliable, high-performance systems to government and commercial customers on aggressive schedules.
Key Responsibilities
Technical Authority & Architecture
- Own and maintain the vehicle system architecture, technical baseline, and configuration for the Draper Engine Vehicle.
- Serve as the final technical decision authority for vehicle-level design trades, requirements allocation, and risk acceptance.
- Ensure propulsion (Draper engine) is fully integrated into the vehicle system with appropriate margins, interfaces, and operational envelopes.
Systems Engineering & Integration
-
Lead vehicle-level systems engineering, including requirements flow-down, interface control, verification & validation (V&V), and configuration management.
-
Oversee cross-disciplinary integration across:
-
Propulsion
-
Structures & airframe
-
GNC
-
Avionics & software
-
Thermal & TPS
-
Mission & flight systems
-
Chair technical reviews including SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, and FRR.
Program Execution Support
- Partner with Program Management to balance performance, cost, schedule, and risk.