Structures and Mechanisms Engineer, HLS

Mclaurin Aerospace • Houston, TX

9d • Onsite

About The Position

McLaurin is hiring a Structures and Mechanisms Engineer for its JETS II contract team at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The role supports NASA’s Human Landing System (HLS) deep-space exploration activities by assessing the structural design, verification, and readiness of commercial lunar lander hardware and NASA-owned Government Furnished Property (GFP).

The engineer will conduct risk-based insight reviews of provider design and verification materials, assess compliance with applicable standards and HLS requirements, and independently perform structural analyses using CAD and finite element analysis tools. The position also serves as the Responsible Engineer for NASA-owned GFP structural readiness, coordinating verification evidence, risks, and status across NASA, providers, and integration stakeholders. The position has been advertised at multiple levels, with consideration based on candidate experience, requirements, and business needs.

A bachelor’s degree in Engineering and typically 5–10 years of related experience are stated as the general qualifications. A license or certification may be required. U.S. citizenship and the ability to pass a comprehensive security background investigation are required.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering.
• Typically 5–10 years of related experience.
• A license or certification may be required.
• U.S. citizenship and ability to pass a comprehensive security background investigation.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to present analytical results and recommendations succinctly.

Nice To Haves

• Three or more years of experience designing, analyzing, or building structural or mechanical systems; internship, competitive school projects, and research-based experience qualify.
• Bachelor’s degree in aerospace, mechanical, or structural engineering.
• Five or more years of professional experience in or supporting aerospace, automotive, or aviation industries.
• Familiarity with relevant NASA, DoD, ASME, and AIAA design and construction standards, such as NASA-STD-5001, NASA-STD-5017, NASA-STD-5020, and JSC 65828.
• Proficiency with ABAQUS, ANSYS, or NASTRAN finite element analysis solvers.

Responsibilities

• Perform risk-based structural insight reviews of commercial provider deliverables, including design data books, stress analysis reports, verification plans, hazard reports, and test results.
• Map HLS structural requirements to provider Verification Events and identify verification gaps, inconsistencies, or risks.
• Review provider compliance with HLS-adjudicated design and construction standards and assess their interpretation and application to provider hardware.
• Review qualification and acceptance test plans, reports, and structural performance verification data for human-rated lunar lander structural hardware.
• Engage with commercial providers through Structures & Mechanisms Insight Forums, including sessions related to NASA-owned GFP.
• Support the HLS Crew Structures Lead in Blue Origin and SpaceX milestone readiness evaluations and other insight duties as assigned.
• Serve as Responsible Engineer for NASA-owned GFP structural readiness within HLS Crew Structures, tracking, documenting, and communicating GFP structural status and verification progress.
• Maintain the Crew Structures GFP Confluence pages with documentation of structural analyses, load cases, configuration changes, verification evidence, risks, and readiness status.
• Review NASA GFP project structural analyses, interface requirements, qualification and acceptance results, materials data, and integration documentation to assess structural sufficiency for lander integration.
• Coordinate with NASA GFP provisioning teams, HLS SE&I, CrewCo, SVS, provider insight teams, and integration stakeholders to ensure GFP structural verification evidence is interpreted, communicated, and dispositioned appropriately.
• Identify structural risks and verification gaps affecting GFP readiness and elevate them to the HLS Crew Structures Lead for action, risk management, or follow-up.
• Provide monthly GFP structural readiness updates to the HLS Crew Structures Lead for CrewCo reporting, including accomplishments, risks, concerns, upcoming deliverables, and verification progress.
• Perform independent structural analyses using CAD/FEA tools such as Creo, FEMAP, NX, and the NASTRAN solver to assess provider design maturity, load-path behavior, and structural margins.
• Build, refine, and execute finite element models to validate provider assumptions, identify structural sensitivities, and disclose risks before program milestones.
• Conduct targeted NASA structural evaluations to characterize structural risk, support risk-reduction activities, and improve insight into commercial lander architectures.
• Communicate analysis findings, model results, and independent assessments to the HLS Crew Structures Lead to support decisions, milestone preparation, and structural readiness assessments.

Benefits

• Competitive pay
• Positive work-life balance
• Employer-paid medical, dental, vision, life, accidental death and dismemberment, short-term disability, and long-term disability insurance
• 11 paid holidays annually
• Generous paid time off
• 401(k) after 12 months of service with employer match
• Education assistance
• Relocation assistance, if applicable

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level