Spacecraft Structures Engineer

Star Catcher•Jacksonville, FL

17h•Onsite

About The Position

Star Catcher Industries, Inc., located in Jacksonville, Florida, is hiring a Spacecraft Structures Engineer to support the development of space-to-space power-beaming spacecraft and the Star Catcher Network, its orbital power grid. The role is responsible for designing, analyzing, and testing structural systems, components, and ground support equipment used on spacecraft, satellites, and other space-related technologies. The engineer will contribute through concept, preliminary, and detailed design; structural analysis; fabrication and drawing release; hardware assembly and integration; and qualification and acceptance testing. They will document and present technical data to justify design choices and help ensure hardware meets program requirements. The role works with mechanical design, opto-mechanical, thermal, electrical, and manufacturing teams, and serves as a technical liaison with fabrication shops.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in mechanical, structural, or aerospace engineering, or a related field.
At least three years of experience designing, analyzing, and testing mechanical hardware for complex systems.
Experience producing CAD models and drawings with GD&T in Autodesk Inventor or equivalent.
Experience performing structural analysis in Ansys Mechanical or equivalent, including static, modal, and random-vibration load cases.
Working knowledge of aerospace structural criteria, including margin-of-safety reporting, bolted-joint analysis, and factors of safety per NASA-STD-5001.
Hands-on experience in a shop, lab, or cleanroom environment supporting hardware build, integration, or environmental testing.
Creative problem-solving skills and ability to develop innovative solutions to advanced engineering challenges.
Willingness to follow company standards and procedures.
Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain required U.S. Department of State authorizations to comply with space technology export regulations, including ITAR.
Must be able to provide proof of eligibility to work in the U.S.; employment offers are contingent on a thorough background check.

Nice To Haves

Master's or PhD degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering, or a related field.
Experience analyzing deployable structures, hinges, latches, and stowed launch load paths.
Experience with structural-thermal-optical performance (STOP) analysis or thermoelastic distortion of precision optical assemblies.
Experience with composite, bonded, or lightweight panel construction and associated fabrication processes.
Experience scripting in Python or APDL to automate model builds, load-case sweeps, and margin reporting.
Familiarity with regulations and standards relevant to space missions and operations.
Ability to communicate and work effectively in a multidisciplinary team setting while prioritizing tasks, multiple projects, and personnel.

Responsibilities

Design spacecraft structures and ground support equipment for concept, preliminary, and detailed design phases using Autodesk Inventor.
Generate and release engineering drawings for part fabrication and assembly, following drawing standards and using GD&T.
Create and release engineering change orders to document design changes.
Perform hand calculations and finite element analysis of owned parts across quasi-static, modal, random vibration, and shock environments, and report margins of safety.
Build and mesh finite element models in Ansys Mechanical.
Analyze bolted joints, fasteners, inserts, and bonded interfaces.
Support analysis of deployable structures.
Support acceptance and qualification test campaigns, including strain-gage and accelerometer placement, instrumentation plan execution, and test-data reduction for model correlation.
Support hands-on assembly and integration of flight and ground-test hardware.
Write technical documentation supporting hardware analysis, build, test, and integration to meet program requirements.
Document and present technical data to justify design choices.
Serve as liaison with fabrication shops on technical matters supporting procurement efforts.
Partner with mechanical design, opto-mechanical, thermal, electrical, and manufacturing teams to drive designs and resolve issues found in analysis and testing.