R&D Engineer

United States·LittletonFull-timemid

EngineeringR&D Engineer

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Canopy Technologies’ mission is to manufacture humanity’s ascent. Our team advances materials and manufacturing processes to support the most challenging missions in the galaxy: re-entry from space, interplanetary travel, hypersonic weapons, and more. Canopy’s engineering centers around extreme environment materials needed to withstand heat, corrosive environments, and the harshness of space.

Job Summary: Canopy Technologies is seeking an exceptional R&D Engineer to lead the development, integration, and flight validation of next-generation materials and payload systems for extreme environments.

This role sits at the intersection of materials science, mechanical design, and experimental test. You will take novel ceramic, composite, and multi-material systems from first-principles concept through proof-of-concept, qualification, and flight demonstration. You will design hardware that survives re-entry, hypersonic heating, and harsh maritime and defense environments — and you will personally help build, test, and refine it.

This is not a narrow, single-discipline role. It requires an engineer who is equally comfortable deriving governing equations from scratch, building robust CAD models for complex assemblies, instrumenting hardware for high-temperature test, and standing in front of a torch or arc-jet facility diagnosing failure modes in real time.

Develop, qualify, integrate, and flight-test payloads and components for re-entry and high-temperature systems

Characterize and test advanced materials and stackups (ceramics, composites, soft goods, coatings, embedded sensors)

Design and implement instrumentation, data acquisition, and calibration systems for high-temperature and high-dynamic testing

Analyze experimental data to validate models, refine designs, and inform next iterations

Perform first-principles thermal, structural, and multiphysics analyses to guide engineering decisions

Interface with embedded systems and software to enable sensing, telemetry, control, and data capture

Design, prototype, and integrate complex assemblies using advanced CAD tools

Partner with Manufacturing and Production teams to transition prototypes into scalable, repeatable hardware systems

Translate early-stage concepts into validated proof-of-concept demonstrations

Contribute to technical proposals and capture efforts for advanced defense and space programs

B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Materials Science, or related field

3-5 years of hands-on engineering experience developing, building, and testing hardware systems

Experience using CAD software and producing engineering drawings to GD&T standards

Experience planning, executing, and analyzing experimental tests

Experience building, integrating, and using data acquisition systems to collect data from COTS sensors.

Strong engineering first principles in solid mechanics, thermodynamics, fluids, and electronics

Functional software ability in at least one high level programming language (Python preferred), with the ability to interface with test equipment and perform data analysis.

Experience designing and executing project plans, managing technical scope, and coordinating cross-functional efforts to deliver hardware programs

Proven experience thriving in a dynamic environment with a high degree of autonomy

Experience working with advanced manufacturing equipment such as 3D printers, CNC machines, robotic systems, or automated production equipment

Graduate-level degree in materials science or engineering, ideally with a focus in high-temperature materials or hypersonics

Proven experience finding scrappy ways to deliver on milestones or programs ahead of schedule

Published external literature in academic journals

Ability to work extended hours and weekends as necessary

Ability to obtain and maintain a US Government Secret security clearance