Structural Dynamics Lead

Overview Energy•Ashburn, VA

4d•$120,000 - $170,000•Onsite

About The Position

Overview Energy is hiring a Structural Dynamics Lead to establish its structural analysis, verification, and model-validation capability in-house, replacing work currently performed by outside contractors. The role supports the company’s satellite-based energy infrastructure, ensuring flight structures can withstand launch environments and years of thermal cycling. The position is based in the Ashburn, Virginia office and works closely with structural, optics, mechanisms, and systems engineering teams. The lead will perform and correlate structural analyses, define and conduct tests, design fixtures, and build the tools, standards, procedures, and testing capability that will support the function over time. The role also supplies thermal distortion results to the optics team for Structural Thermal Optical Performance (STOP) analysis. Candidates must meet applicable U.S. Government space technology export regulations under ITAR: they 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. Overview Energy is an Equal Opportunity Employer and offers reasonable accommodations during the application process.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, or Structural Engineering.
5–10 years of structural analysis experience on flight hardware, such as spacecraft, launch vehicles, or aircraft.
Hands-on experience completing the full analysis cycle on multiple flight structures: model building, test definition, correlation, and recommending fixes.
Expertise in Nastran structural dynamics, including sine, random, and shock analysis, using Femap, Patran, or Simcenter 3D.
Experience defining static and dynamic test requirements and designing fixtures for testing.
Hands-on Siemens NX experience, including preparing geometry for analysis and modeling test fixtures.
Must meet applicable ITAR eligibility requirements: 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.

Nice To Haves

M.S. or higher in Mechanical, Aerospace, or Structural Engineering.
Spaceflight program experience, including vibration and shock qualification testing.
Experience delivering Craig-Bampton models to a launch provider and interpreting coupled-loads results.
Experience establishing an analysis function and bringing contractor work in-house.
Experience with thermal distortion or STOP analysis on optical systems.
Proficiency in Python or MATLAB for Nastran post-processing and test-data reduction.
Familiarity with GEVS, NASA-STD-5001, SMC-S-016, or launch-provider structural requirements.
A record of trading mass against stiffness on satellite structures, backed by GD&T and DFM/DFA.

Responsibilities

Build Nastran models from scratch for the primary structure, deployables, and the structure holding the optics.
Own loads and margins of safety for flight structures, including launch vibration, shock, and bolted joints.
Deliver Craig-Bampton models to launch providers and interpret returned coupled-loads results.
Define static and dynamic test requirements, including levels, durations, notching, sensor placement, and pass criteria.
Design and survey test fixtures, run test campaigns in person, and process test data.
Correlate models to test data and recommend design changes before hardware release.
Predict structural stresses caused by thermal cycling and correlate predictions with strain data from thermal tests.
Provide thermal distortion results to the optics team for STOP analysis.
Write analysis standards and validation procedures for future analysts.
Build the tools, procedures, and test capability for the in-house structural analysis function.