I applied through a recruiter. The process took 6 weeks.

A minefield of red flags. I was sourced for this position. I indicated I was not interested in relocating (I would be willing to travel frequently). I was quickly ushered through 2 rounds of technical interviews. These interviews were with the current head of the company's main product, and the head of propulsion. Through these rounds I was asked simple, high-level technical questions.

When I asked questions of the company business and technical strategy, I was met with inconsistent answers. It seemed as if two of the highest-ranking technical employees at the company did not know the reasoning for the work they were doing. I got invited to a final interview. At this point it seemed the company was sold on my technical ability, and began to ask leadership-level questions. It seemed as if they were no longer trying to assess my ability, but rather get actual advice on how to run the program.

Key questions here were:

• 'How would you approach canceling a technical project that is halfway done that is no longer needed?'
• Clearly indicative of an issue they were currently facing.

After the final interview, it was clear the company wanted to move to an offer based on my experience. Instead of directly sending an offer, I was put on another call with the head of propulsion to sort out what role I might fit in. By the end of the call, it was clear the employee could not decide what role to offer, and suggested I decide my own title and salary to request. I declined, and asked for the company to make up an offer and share it, so negotiations could start.

After this, I was all but ghosted for 3 weeks, stating the CEO was unavailable to review the offer. Finally, I was texted a rejection stating that they were only interested in candidates that would relocate to the area. Additionally, through this process I was only in contact with a third-party recruiter. I was never in contact with a consistent HR representative at the company. I believe the employee I was supposed to interface with left the company while I was in the interview process.

What are operational difficulties for a propulsion system at each phase of flight?