Tooling Engineer- Solid Rocket Motor Production

Tooling Engineer — Solid Rocket Motor Production | Torrance, CA | $140K-$200K + competitive equityA fast-scaling hypersonics company is building long-range strike systems following a major U.S. Navy order — 50 units, first-of-its-kind hardware, real production deadlines (not slideware). $469M+ raised from a16z, Lightspeed, and General Catalyst. 300 people, SpaceX-inspired culture: high ownership, high velocity, no bureaucracy.The role:You'll own end-to-end tooling development for solid rocket motor production — designing fixtures, jigs, molds, and handling assemblies to safely move, process, and temperature-control 600+ gallon, 2,000+ lb batches of ammonium perchlorate and aluminum oxidizer precursor chemicals. You'll lead projects from concept through production floor implementation, including FEA validation, tolerance stack-ups, and DFM — and mentor junior engineers along the way.What we need:3-10 yrs designing large-scale tooling for heavy, hazardous, or safety-critical hardware (1,000+ lb parts, explosives, molten metal, fuselage sections)Experience in a high-velocity environment — SpaceX, startup, or NPI/pilot build setting (not solely legacy prime)Background with energetics, propellants, foundry, or chemical handling tooling a strong plusStrong CAD (SolidWorks/NX/CATIA), FEA, GD&T, tolerance stack-up analysisSafety-first mindset — you proactively spot hazards before they become incidentsBachelor's in Mechanical, Manufacturing, or related engineering fieldMust be ITAR-compliant (U.S. citizen or permanent resident) — no visa sponsorshipFully on-site, 5 days/week, Torrance, CANot a fit if:You've only worked on small-scale/lightweight tooling (satellites under 500 lbs, consumer products)Spent your whole career at a large prime with no startup/high-tempo exposure, or can't walk through the engineering math behind a tooling decision.Comp: $140K-$200K base + equity (flexes higher for exceptional candidates)If you've designed tooling for things that could genuinely hurt someone if you got it wrong — and you want to see your work fly — let's talk.Visa sponsorship and H1B Transfers unavailable