Structural Dynamics Engineer

Amentum•Huntsville, AL

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Amentum is seeking a Structural Dynamics Engineer to support current and future development programs for government (NASA) and commercial companies. The current position is on-site at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, AL. Future positions may be at the Amentum facility in Huntsville, Alabama or a customer site. Amentum is a key team member supporting the Space Launch System (SLS) and the Human Lander System (HLS) programs at NASA. Amentum specializes in engineering and software services. Currently, we are looking for a Structural Dynamics Engineer to join our team supporting the development of structural dynamic Loads for the HLS and SLS Programs.

Requirements

BS degree (MS preferred) in Mechanical, Aerospace, or Civil Engineering, Structures, Engineering Mechanics or related field is required.
Degree from an ABET accredited institution is preferred.
Typically, educational requirements are the equivalent of a minimum of a Master’s degree with at least 8 years of experience, or BS with at least 10 years of experience.
Must be a US citizen and have a STAR ID.
Experience/Aptitude to master/develop Structural Dynamics Analysis tools within a very aggressive timeframe.
Resident of the greater Huntsville area in North Alabama or willing to relocate.
Willingness to travel up to 5% of time.
Acceptable Background/Qualifications to be granted access to a US government facility.
Candidate must be a US citizen
Ability to be self-motivated, independent, thorough, ethical, and a team contributor
Ability to complete tasks in a timely manner with adequate fidelity
Ability to effectively work and communicate both written and orally with team members, providers, and customers
Requires ability to provide clear, concise, accurate and timely communication, both verbally and in writing (100%).
Requires ability to interact professionally with co-workers, management, and client (100%).
Requires ability to work at a computer for long periods of time (100%).
Requires sitting for extended periods of time in meetings with peers, management, and with our client at NASA facilities to discuss technical issues (10%).
Also, requires sitting for extended periods of time at a desk to write reports and perform engineering tasks (80%).
Requires ability to use stairs or elevators for access between floors and multiple buildings at NASA and our facilities (10%).
Requires ability to operate a personal computer, a telephone, fax machine, copier, calculator, and other general office equipment (100%).
Regular attendance is a necessity, and adequate arrangements for delegating duties during absences are required.
The ability to work independently with minimal supervision, and to make rational decisions, and to exercise good judgment is essential (100%).
Proof of U.S. Citizenship is required.

Nice To Haves

Experience with LS-Dyna, ADAMS multibody dynamics software, or other industry-standard modeling and analysis toolsets highly desirable
Experience with Matlab, C, Python and/or other programming languages to support creation of in-house tools and scripts to solve complex problems not immediately achievable with canned software packages highly desirable
Proficient in NASTRAN, Hurty/Craig-Bampton model reduction, steady-state and transient dynamic analysis a plus
Experience with FEMAP or other Finite Element Modeling interface
Familiarity with NASA and/or commercial spaceflight programs and requirements
Aptitude/experience in Structural Dynamics and Loads
Ability to learn/master complex methods & tools quickly

Responsibilities

Develop Structural Dynamic models and simulations for Launch Vehicles and Spacecraft for multiple vehicle configurations and loading events, including, but not limited to Liftoff, Ascent, Lunar Landing, and Moonquakes.
Participate in Customer/Provider meetings and Technical Interface Meetings (TIMs).
Develop NASTRAN Finite Element Models (FEMs), perform Hurty/Craig-Bampton (HCB) model reductions, develop and run in-house Out-of-Code and LS-Dyna simulations, perform Monte-Carlo simulations, make load predictions, develop and deliver presentations, participate in reviews, actively work with team members and other discipline teams, and document/publish results.
Perform structural dynamic analysis for Launch Vehicles and Spacecraft flight hardware systems for un-crewed, crewed, and payload configurations for multiple loading events, including low frequency and high frequency environments.
Produce and maintain structural models generated from commercially available software codes like FEMAP and NASTRAN or in-house software codes for low frequency Couple Loads Analysis (CLA) and high frequency vibration, shock, and acoustic (VS&A) analysis.
When available, use test data to correlate models.
Perform Hurty/Craig-Bampton (HCB) reductions, using NASTRAN, Matlab, Python, and/or other software tools.
Develop environments and forcing functions for multiple loading events.
Develop and maintain simulations using in-house out-of-code tools (like Matlab, C, Python, or other) and commercially available software codes (like LS-Dyna and Adams multi-body dynamics simulation) to simulate mechanical loading conditions, dynamic environments (i.e. transients and VS&A), and mechanism motions/releases.
Develop loads for primary structures, secondary structures, and components.
Predict payload loads.
Define environment levels for analysis and testing.
Process ground and flight test data.
Conduct pre-test predictions, prepare test plans/requirements, participate in and monitor tests, perform post-test analyses.
Define environment levels and forcing functions.
Tests may include, but are not limited to, static, separation dynamics, vibration, modal, and shock tests.
Analyze/document test results in post-test reports.
Actively work with team members and other discipline teams
Participate in reviews.
Develop & make presentations to peers, customers, and providers.
Document/publish detailed analysis/test reports.