Senior Structural Analysis Engineer

Volant Partners•Seattle, WA

1d•$117,000 - $177,000•Onsite

About The Position

Volant Partners, Inc is seeking a Senior Structural Analysis Engineer to assist our clients with the design, development and verification of aerospace and space flight hardware. Responsibilities will vary by client project, but the selected candidate will contribute to areas such as configuration trade studies, external and internal loads, structural sizing and mass estimates, finite element modeling and analysis, classical hand calculations, fatigue and damage tolerance assessments, and authoring stress reports for both primary and secondary structure. In addition, responsibilities will include working closely with design, test and manufacturing teams throughout the product development lifecycle to support critical design, build-start and verification milestones. As subject matter experts, selected candidates will use their depth of structural analysis knowledge to perform these tasks and introduce best practices into our clients. Successful candidates will be self-starters that are comfortable in new situations where success is dependent on quickly understanding client challenges and addressing them. This individual must have excellent communication skills (written, verbal, and presentation) and be able to communicate effectively with different engineering disciplines, project and client leadership. This position may include on-site work so we are only seeking candidates in the greater Seattle area at this time.

Requirements

8-12 years of practical experience performing structural/stress analysis
Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Civil, or a related engineering discipline
Strong foundation in strength of materials, structural mechanics and classical hand calculation methods
Hands-on FEA experience with MSC/NX Nastran and pre/post-processors such as Patran, Femap or HyperMesh
Experience analyzing metallic and/or composite structures, including use of standard references such as MMPDS and CMH-17
Experience with structural sizing, load path development and margin of safety calculations
Working experience creating technical documentation (stress reports, analysis memos, margin summaries)
Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Excel-based analysis tools and PowerPoint presentations
Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, including GD&T
Experience in working with requirements
Strong analytical and interpersonal skills with the ability to work independently and collaboratively.
As a consultant, ability to effectively cooperate with the client and/or end users
Fluent English in speech and writing (frequent communication with English-speaking clients)
Must be a US Person - U.S. citizen, U.S. permanent resident, or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum

Nice To Haves

Experience analyzing spacecraft, launch vehicle or aircraft structures
Experience working in regulated industries such as defense, aerospace, and automotive
Experience working in a consulting or engineering services company
Experience with fatigue and fracture mechanics tools (e.g. NASGRO, AFGROW)
Familiarity with spaceflight structural standards (e.g. NASA-STD-5001, NASA-STD-5019) or FAA 14 CFR Part 23/25 compliance
Experience supporting design reviews (PDR/CDR) and verification milestones
Experience with ANSYS or Abaqus
Experience with scripting or automation of analysis workflows (e.g. Python, MATLAB)
Familiarity with CAD tools such as CATIA, NX, SolidWorks or Creo
Experience with structural test planning and test-analysis correlation (e.g. strain gauge data)

Responsibilities

Performing trade studies on structural configurations, assessing materials, fit, form, function and joints
Defining external loads, generating internal loads and documenting free-body load paths
Sizing primary and secondary structure for strength and stiffness, including mass estimates and mass growth allowance (MGA) analyses
Developing, verifying and maintaining finite element models (e.g. Nastran), including validation of material properties, boundary conditions and loads
Performing classical hand calculations to complement and verify finite element results
Performing fatigue and damage tolerance assessments
Authoring stress analysis reports and calculating margins of safety in accordance with client standards for hand-off to design teams
Supporting definition of test scope, manufacturing methods and development activities
Presenting analysis findings at cross-functional and design reviews, and providing regular status updates
Championing structural analysis best practices on their project
Mentoring more junior engineers