Senior Rotordynamics FEA Engineer

CFD Research Corporation•Huntsville, AL

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

CFD Research Corporation is adding a talented senior rotordynamics finite element engineer to our growing structural analysis team. The candidate will evaluate rotating machinery (compressors, turbines, gearboxes) via modal, harmonic and transient analysis to improve reliability and reduce vibration. The position is located at CFD Research’s Huntsville Headquarters, where the candidate will work closely with existing structural, fluid and thermal analysis teams to provide rapid design recommendations and assessments. The candidate is expected to interface regularly with Prototype, Test and Evaluation Division engineers located at the company’s Hollywood, AL Engineering Test Center. This will necessitate trips to Hollywood to support in-person meetings 3 times a month. The potential exists for the aspiring candidate to help grow and eventually lead the burgeoning high fidelity structural analysis team. Proficiency with any one of the following FEA tools is required: Abaqus, ANSYS or NASTRAN. The candidate should be familiar with running on a remote HPC cluster and submitting jobs to a bash scheduler. Key responsibilities include the development and validation of linear dynamic FEA models to generate Campbell diagrams, identify critical speeds, determine rotational clearance, and assess high cycle fatigue. The candidate shall produce engineering reports and documentation in support of requirement verification and design reviews.

Requirements

US Citizenship and eligibility to obtain and maintain a secret security clearance
Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering
6+ years hands on experience with turbomachinery, gas/steam turbines, compressors, electric motor rotors, or gearboxes
Proficiency with Abaqus and Solidworks
Experience with Campbell diagram generation, critical speed analysis, and frequency response functions.
Solid understanding of dynamics concepts: gyroscopic effects, damping/stiffness modeling, non-linearities, stability/whirl phenomena
Knowledge of thermal–structural coupling effects and rotor growth/clearance analysis
Ability to create clear technical documentation and present results to stakeholders
Strong problem solving, communication, and teamwork skills.

Nice To Haves

An active secret security clearance
Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering with emphasis on dynamics, vibration or structural mechanics
Experience with ANSYS or NASTRAN
Background with rolling bearings.
Familiarity with industry standards and reliability practices (FMEA, root-cause methods).
Familiarity with high-performance computing (HPC) and large-scale models
Experience with python for post processing of tabular data or the creation of automation macros

Responsibilities

Evaluate rotating machinery (compressors, turbines, gearboxes) via modal, harmonic and transient analysis to improve reliability and reduce vibration.
Develop and validate linear dynamic FEA models to generate Campbell diagrams, identify critical speeds, determine rotational clearance, and assess high cycle fatigue.
Produce engineering reports and documentation in support of requirement verification and design reviews.
Interface regularly with Prototype, Test and Evaluation Division engineers.
Run analysis on a remote HPC cluster and submit jobs to a bash scheduler.

Benefits

Competitive salaries
Employer matching 401(k)
Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)
Highly competitive insurance package, including medical, vision, and dental insurance
Company paid leave
Compensation time
Parental leave
Long-term and short-term disability
Accidental death and dismemberment
Life insurance
Performance appraisals occur twice a year
Annual pay increases based upon corporate goals, personal development, performance, and outstanding achievements
Group and individual bonuses awarded for exceptional performance