Senior Propulsion Analysis Engineer

Senior Propulsion Analysis Engineer

Requirements

• Thermal-Structural static analysis (particularly dealing with nonlinear materials and large strains). Thermal-Structural Stress analysis experience is required.
• B.S. degree in mechanical, aerospace engineering, or a comparable field.
• 8+ years of experience performing structural analysis.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, startup environment.
• Prior experience working on safety-critical systems in production environments.
• Experience performing Finite Element Analysis (FEA / FEM) using commercial codes (e.g., ANSYS, Abaqus, of NASTRAN-based solvers).
• High Cycle Fatigue Analysis (HCF, crack initiation predicted by a stress-life / SN approach).
• Low Cycle Fatigue Analysis (LCF, crack initiation predicted by a strain-life / e-N approach).

Responsibilities

• You will perform coupled thermal-stress analysis to assess material response under extreme conditions.
• You will evaluate our designs through static, dynamic, fatigue, and fracture analyses and provide recommendations when needed to achieve our objectives.
• You will collaborate with other engineering teams to develop our engines while ensuring they meet our system-level requirements and comply with the structural standards we follow.
• You will work closely with our test team to request the instrumentation necessary to anchor our analytical models.
• You will collaborate with our manufacturing team to assess nonconforming hardware for development and flight engines and provide recommended dispositions and repairs.
• You will improve our analytical methods and seek out new approaches and tools.
• You will provide professional development, mentorship, and technical guidance to peers.

Preferred Qualifications

• M.S. degree or higher in Mechanical, Aerospace Engineering, or a comparable field, ideally focusing on solid mechanics, fatigue, fracture, or structural dynamics.
• Dynamic analysis methods (modal, random vibration, shock response).
• Fracture analysis (crack growth / safe-life and assessing for instability via LEFM, ideally with prior experience using NASGRO).
• A strong theoretical background in heat transfer, fluid mechanics, and/or compressible flow.
• Experience with the ANSYS FEA suite.
• Experience with NCode.
• Experience anchoring analytical models to physical testing.
• Knowledge of turbomachinery-related analytical methods (e.g., generating Campbell diagrams to assess margins on rotordynamics or structural modes or rotating hardware).
• Prior professional experience working on either rocketry or turbomachinery.
• Experience supporting failure investigations and root-cause analysis.
• A track record of working efficiently in fast-paced engineering environments.
• A track record of effective oral and written communications to support your recommendations.
• Fluid analysis (e.g. Computational Fluid Dynamics / CFD or 1-D transient analysis using SINDA/FLUINT or ROCETS).
• Knowledge of composite materials, insulation, and ablative thermal protection systems.
• Working experience in loads development.