Staff Structural Analyst

Astra•Alameda, CA

36d

About The Position

The Sr Staff Structural Analyst is a senior, technical leader responsible for the comprehensive execution, quality, and technical integrity of all complex engineering analyses across the company's rocket and spacecraft propulsion programs. This role will set the technical standard for analysis methodologies, lead the most challenging technical investigations, and serve as the company's principal expert in relevant analytical domains (e.g., structural, thermal, fluid dynamics, propulsion performance). This is a hands-on role focusing on technical excellence, mentorship, and critical design review leadership. Technical Leadership & Execution: Act as the principal subject matter expert and technical authority for all high-fidelity engineering analyses (FEA, CFD, thermal, kinematic, multi-physics). Personally lead and execute the most critical and complex analyses to drive primary design decisions for launch vehicle and spacecraft propulsion systems. Methodology & Standards: Define, standardize, and institutionalize best practices, tools, and methodologies for engineering analysis across all programs. Ensure analyses are grounded in first principles physics and are appropriately validated against test data. Technical Oversight & Review: Provide technical oversight and final sign-off on critical analysis reports and technical memorandums. Lead internal design review boards (PDR, CDR) specifically focused on analysis fidelity and margin assessment. Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with Design, Manufacturing, Test, and Safety teams to ensure analysis models accurately reflect real-world boundary conditions, material properties, and manufacturing tolerances. Mentorship & Development: Act as a technical mentor and guide for analysis engineers. Develop training materials and conduct internal seminars to raise the overall technical competency of the analysis team. Risk & Uncertainty Quantification: Establish and drive the use of advanced methods for quantifying uncertainty and margin in analytical models, feeding into system-level reliability assessments.

Requirements

Master's degree or Ph.D. in Aeronautical, Mechanical, or Civil Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
Minimum of 8 years of progressive, hands-on experience in engineering analysis within the aerospace, defense, or high-performance industry, with a significant focus on launch vehicles, spacecraft, or turbomachinery.
Deep, demonstrated expertise in two or more of the following: Finite Element Analysis (FEA) for structural dynamics and non-linear material behavior; Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for reacting flows, propulsion, or high-speed aerodynamics; Thermal Analysis and heat transfer in extreme environments.
Expert proficiency in industry-standard analysis software packages (e.g., NASTRAN/Patran, Abaqus, ANSYS, STAR-CCM+, OpenFOAM).
Proven ability to develop custom analysis scripts and tools using languages such as Python, MATLAB, or C++.
Familiarity with standard aerospace analysis requirements, standards, and safety factors (e.g., NASA, DoD, or FAA/AST guidelines).

Nice To Haves

Experience analyzing systems utilizing advanced materials such as composites, additive manufacturing parts, and superalloys in cryogenic or high-temperature environments.
Proven track record of planning, executing, and critically correlating analysis models with ground and flight test data.
Prior experience functioning as a recognized Senior Engineer, in an Individual Contributor capacity.
Working knowledge of modern CAD systems (e.g., NX, SolidWorks, CATIA) and best practices for analysis model generation.

Responsibilities

Act as the principal subject matter expert and technical authority for all high-fidelity engineering analyses (FEA, CFD, thermal, kinematic, multi-physics).
Personally lead and execute the most critical and complex analyses to drive primary design decisions for launch vehicle and spacecraft propulsion systems.
Define, standardize, and institutionalize best practices, tools, and methodologies for engineering analysis across all programs.
Ensure analyses are grounded in first principles physics and are appropriately validated against test data.
Provide technical oversight and final sign-off on critical analysis reports and technical memorandums.
Lead internal design review boards (PDR, CDR) specifically focused on analysis fidelity and margin assessment.
Partner closely with Design, Manufacturing, Test, and Safety teams to ensure analysis models accurately reflect real-world boundary conditions, material properties, and manufacturing tolerances.
Act as a technical mentor and guide for analysis engineers.
Develop training materials and conduct internal seminars to raise the overall technical competency of the analysis team.
Establish and drive the use of advanced methods for quantifying uncertainty and margin in analytical models, feeding into system-level reliability assessments.