Senior Structural Analysis Engineer

Primary Responsibilities – Structural Substantiation & Verification

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• Own the structural finite element model (FEM) for primary and secondary spacecraft structures and maintain configuration control  
• Perform stress, deflection, stability, and margin of safety analyses using FEM and first-principles hand calculations  
• Substantiate metallic and composite structures, including strength, stiffness, and buckling assessments  
• Develop and document structural verification approaches, assumptions, and acceptance rationale  
• Support design trades and architecture decisions through analytical assessment of load paths and structural efficiency
• Partner directly with design engineers to validate and optimize primary and secondary structural designs for strength, stiffness, weight, cost, and manufacturability
  
  

Additional Responsibilities – Analysis Automation & Cross-Functional Support

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• Develop Python-based tools to automate analysis workflows, post-processing, and margin reporting  
• Collaborate with design, manufacturing, and test teams to resolve structural issues and assess nonconformances  
• Support structural qualification and acceptance testing, including pre-test predictions and post-test correlation  
• Contribute to structural documentation, analysis reports, and verification artifacts

• 2–5 years of experience in spacecraft structural analysis, primary structures, or structural substantiation roles  
• Experience performing stress, deflection, buckling, and margin of safety assessments using FEM and hand calculations  
• Proficiency developing and maintaining structural finite element models using FEMAP/Nastran or Siemens Simcenter 3D  
• Experience substantiating metallic and composite spacecraft structures, including load path validation  
• Experience owning or supporting structural verification efforts through analysis and test
• Proficiency with Python and/or MATLAB for analysis automation, data reduction, and reporting  
• Experience using version control systems such as Git in an engineering analysis environment
• BS or MS in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline

• Strong ability to perform structural stress analysis and margin of safety calculations for primary and secondary spacecraft structures  
• Deep understanding of load paths, structural behavior, and failure modes in metallic and composite structures  
• Ability to build, interrogate, and validate finite element models using first-principles reasoning  
• Proficiency in developing and applying hand calculations to verify and bound FEM results
• Ability to automate analysis post-processing and verification reporting using Python or MATLAB
• Clear technical communication skills for documenting assumptions, methods, and structural substantiation rationale