Propulsion Strength Lead 5 - Vulcan Development

ULA•Denver, CO

12d

About The Position

The Propulsion Strength Lead will lead a structural analysis team supporting Vulcan Development, including Centaur V on SLS for Artemis and Upper Stage Advancement long-duration capabilities. The role owns the technical scope assigned to the team and serves as a subject matter expert for complex structural analysis requiring cross-discipline coordination and creative problem-solving. The position supports propulsion and mechanical analysis, system integration, project management, and anomaly resolution. It involves advanced strength, fatigue, and fracture analysis of structural components, including nonlinear analysis; creating analysis models and hand calculations; reviewing engineering layouts, models, designs, and drawing changes; and making engineering recommendations for new designs and installations. The lead also plans and prioritizes team work, resolves issues, communicates status to program leaders, supports suppliers and production activities, and helps develop analysis tools, methodologies, processes, and team expertise through mentoring and training.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related technical field from an accredited college or university.
At least 8 years of related work experience.
At least 3 years of experience serving in a lead role for an analysis team directly supporting large program objectives.
Ability to make design recommendations based on first-order analysis results and engineering judgment or experience.
Ability to resolve technical issues using available analysis tools and methodologies.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office and Agile tools, including Jira.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills and ability to work effectively in a team environment.
Detailed understanding of materials and material properties.
Advanced structural analysis experience, including tanks, adapters, and brackets.
Advanced experience analyzing propulsion hardware, including tubing, ducting, and flex joints.
Experience developing tools for analyzing propulsion systems, including tubing, ducting, bellows, and supplier components.
Understanding of fatigue and fracture analysis methodology and ability to develop tools that facilitate this analysis.
Understanding of bolted-joint analysis and modeling and ability to develop tools that facilitate this analysis.
Understanding of GD&T standards and principles.
Understanding of analysis best practices and underlying assumptions, and ability to establish standards for the team.
Understanding of basic hand calculations.
Experience resolving hardware nonconformances.
Familiarity with Nastran (static, modal, dynamic, and nonlinear analysis solutions), Femap pre-/post-processor, NX CAD/Simulation, NASGRO, Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Unix/Linux mainframe-based analysis tools, Matlab, Abaqus, and Jira.
Must be a U.S. Person as defined by ITAR, because the position requires use of ITAR-controlled information.

Nice To Haves

Experience working with component suppliers to drive requirements for component development and qualification.
Experience running or creating analysis automation and pre- and post-processing scripts using Unix, Matlab, Python, or Excel.
Experience leading static or dynamic testing and model correlation.
Experience leading structural optimization techniques for mass savings.
Experience integrating with system-level analysis models, such as coupled loads models.
Experience with NASA human-rating analysis and qualification requirements, including NASA-STD-5019 and NASA-STD-5001.
General knowledge of fabrication methods for mechanical hardware, such as machining, welding, processing, and assembly.
Familiarity with mechanical support equipment.
Familiarity with composite structural analysis.
Experience leading analysis efforts supporting cross-functional teams.
Experience working on development programs within the Agile framework and understanding of Agile tools, including Jira.

Responsibilities

Lead a team of analysts through Vulcan Development activities, including Centaur V on SLS in support of Artemis and Upper Stage Advancement long-duration capabilities.
Serve as an analysis subject matter expert for complex structural analysis problems requiring cross-discipline coordination and creative thinking.
Support propulsion and mechanical analysis, system integration, project management, and anomaly resolution.
Lead advanced strength, fatigue, and fracture analyses of structural components, including nonlinear analyses.
Help the team resolve analysis challenges and develop new analysis tools, methodologies, and processes for long-term organizational improvement.
Build lower-level engineers’ capabilities through knowledge transfer, mentoring, and formal training.
Facilitate work-scope planning, prioritization, execution, and issue resolution, and communicate status to program leaders.
Create advanced analysis models, perform hand calculations, and apply analysis best practices to provide strength inputs and recommendations for new designs and installations.
Review and approve 3D engineering layouts, 3D models, designs and drawings, and 2D drawing changes for propulsion, fluid-system, and mechanical-system components.
Make engineering design recommendations considering thermal, mechanical, and pressure loading, appropriate material properties and configurations, and safety factors.
Drive internal peer reviews, tabletop reviews, and formal design reviews as needed.
Work with key suppliers to ensure analysis products support contracted efforts and transition seamlessly among verification analyses.
Support fast-paced design and analysis cycles and evaluate hardware nonconformances to support production activities.
Assist the team in creating analysis automation tools.