Senior Vehicle Structures Engineer

Ursa Major•Berthoud, CO

17h•$125,000 - $155,000

About The Position

Ursa Major is seeking a Senior Vehicle Structures Engineer to support hypersonic and advanced vehicle programs. Ursa Major’s teams move fast and does a lot with little. We are looking for a skilled, fast learning individual who will serve as a central member of member of the team and take immediate ownership of their system as a responsible engineer. This role focuses on the structural design, analysis, and integration of vehicle airframe and propulsion-adjacent structures operating in extreme environments. The ideal candidate will be comfortable moving quickly from concept through flight hardware while collaborating closely with customers and internal engineering teams.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field
5+ years of experience in vehicle structures or airframe engineering
Experience supporting hypersonic, missile, space, or high-performance aerospace vehicles
Strong fundamentals in: Structural mechanics and materials, Loads and environments, Structural margins and safety factors
Demonstrated proficiency with computer aided design and drafting
Experience with geometric dimensioning and tolerancing per ASME Y14.5
Experience with finite element analysis (FEA) tools (e.g., NASTRAN, Abaqus, ANSYS)
Working knowledge of and hands-on experience with fluid, mechanical, and electrical systems
Strong understanding of industry standards and requirements
Desire to take ownership and help wherever needed on the team
Able to delegate tasks and lead large project scope
Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and stay flexible based on customer demands and company priorities along with daily firefighting
Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, hardware-focused environment
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Security Clearance

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering
Familiarity with high-temperature materials , composites, and metallic structures
Experience with hypersonic loads, aero-thermal environments, and TPS integration
Experience supporting flight test or demonstration vehicles
Experience with model-based engineering or digital thread tools
Knowledge of propulsion-adjacent structures (motor cases, mounts, skirts, thrust structures)
Experience in design and analysis of fluids systems
Experience operating in ISO 9001 or AS9100 certified organizations
Experience with SMC-S-016 Test Requirements
Demonstrated proficiency with fundamental manual or CNC machining equipment and processes (milling, turning)
Experience with fluids, structural and thermal analysis using Ansys software
3+ years of PTC Creo or Siemens NX CAD programs and Windchill PLM software
Liquid propellant rocket engine design, test, or analysis

Responsibilities

Clean sheet design and analysis of fluid & mechanical vehicle components including tanks, feed systems, propellant management, and fluid systems
Support rapid development cycles of new designs and changing requirements including testing, data analysis and hands-on hardware work
Design modifications of existing components and prototypes to increase performance, improve manufacturability or resolve limitations
Collaborate with the manufacturing, analysis, and test teams to reduce part-to-part variation and discrepancies
Assemble and test first article prototypes
Design and develop primary and secondary vehicle structures for hypersonic and advanced flight vehicles
Perform structural sizing, trade studies, and margin assessments across vehicle and propulsion-integrated structures
Conduct structural analysis including static, dynamic, vibration, and coupled loads environments
Support thermal-structural interactions in high-temperature flight regimes
Collaborate with propulsion, systems, thermal, and mission engineering teams to ensure proper structural integration
Interface with customers and external partners during design reviews, technical interchange meetings (TIMs), and integrated product team (IPT) meetings
Develop and manage structural requirements and verification plans
Support manufacturing through design for manufacturability (DFM) and producibility considerations
Support test planning and execution , including ground and flight test structural support
Participate in failure investigations, nonconformance resolution, and continuous design improvement