Senior Vehicle Structural Loads Analysis Engineer

Ursa Major•Berthoud, CO

14d•$123,000 - $153,000•Remote

About The Position

As a Senior Vehicle Structural Loads Analysis Engineer, you will primarily focus on global structural modeling and loads development across Ursa vehicles and propulsion systems. Your secondary focus will either be Loads and Dynamics or Detailed Finite Element Modeling. You will be exposed to multiple vehicles, systems, and engines, along with the unique challenges each present. We are looking for experienced analysts who bring new skills and best practices from their prior experience to Ursa and who, in time, will mentor others. You will be expected to lead verification and validation efforts and to provide proactive feedback to our design team based on the results of your work. Lastly, as Ursa ramps up its production rate and begins development on new engine platforms, you will be expected to assess nonconforming hardware, introduce approaches that could improve our team’s efficiency, and potentially venture into engine stress analysis or dynamics analysis to support others in our multi-disciplinary analysis team. You will report to our Propulsion Analysis Team Lead. This role is available to work remotely within the US (with 10% travel to Colorado) or as a hybrid or on-site role out of our Berthoud, Colorado office.

Requirements

B.S. degree in mechanical, aerospace engineering, or a comparable field
8+ years of experience performing structural analysis
Note: Ursa Major is considering candidates for this position at multiple levels. Based on your experience, we may be able to adjust the level of the role along with the associated compensation range accordingly.
Comfortable working in a fast-paced, startup environment
GFEM analysis experience for vehicle and/or propulsion systems
Experience performing Finite Element Analysis (FEA / FEM) using commercial codes (e.g., ANSYS, Abaqus, or NASTRAN-based solvers)
Experience anchoring analytical models to physical testing
High Cycle Fatigue Analysis (HCF, crack initiation predicted by a stress-life / SN approach)

Nice To Haves

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)
Working experience in loads development
Thermal-Structural static analysis (particularly dealing with nonlinear materials and large strains)
Low Cycle Fatigue Analysis (LCF, crack initiation predicted by a strain-life / e-N approach)
Experience with Femap/Nastran
Experience with the ANSYS FEA suite
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
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
Prior experience working on safety-critical systems in production environments

Responsibilities

You will lead GFEM development for vehicles and propulsion systems
You will verify and validate your models
You will work closely with our test team to request the instrumentation necessary to anchor our analytical models.
You will propagate loads to vehicle and engine components
You will perform loads development for vehicles and engine programs
You will collaborate with other engineering teams to develop our systems while ensuring they meet requirements and comply with the structural standards we follow.
You will collaborate with our manufacturing team to assess nonconforming hardware for development and flight components 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.
You will evaluate our designs through static, dynamic, fatigue, and fracture analyses and provide recommendations when needed to achieve our objectives.