Spacecraft Structural Engineer — Equity & Hybrid Work

iO Associates; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity participation

Private healthcare including dental &

Job summary

iO Associates are partnering with a leading space technology company to recruit a Spacecraft Structural Engineer. You will lead design analysis, testing and qualification of high‑performance spacecraft hardware across the full lifecycle from concept to flight readiness.

You will develop FEM models, perform hand calculations and work with manufacturers to ensure robust structures, vibration resistance and integration with subsystems in a collaborative team.

Qualifications

• Degree in Aerospace/Mechanical/Structural Engineering or related field.
• Minimum of 3 years' experience in structural analysis of flight hardware and aerospace structures.
• Experience analysing spacecraft structures and subsystems such as propulsion, electronics enclosures, solar arrays.
• Strong understanding of design for manufacture.
• Hands-on experience developing and validating FEM models.
• Experience with industry-standard analysis tools (NASTRAN, ANSYS, Abaqus, OptiStruct).
• Understanding of launch environments: vibration, shock, quasi-static loads.
• Experience supporting environmental test campaigns and model correlation.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings and collaborate with design teams.

Responsibilities

• Perform structural analysis of spacecraft hardware, propulsion systems and mechanical assemblies.
• Conduct static, modal, random vibration, sine vibration, shock and quasi-static load assessments.
• Develop, refine and validate FEM models for spacecraft structures.
• Perform hand calculations to support analytical models.
• Support structural sizing, stiffness optimisation and load-path analysis.
• Plan and execute environmental test campaigns, including vibration and shock testing.
• Instrument hardware with accelerometers and strain gauges and correlate test data with models.
• Review drawings and influence structural decisions with design engineers.
• Support qualification and verification activities to aerospace standards.
• Contribute to development, integration, testing and flight-readiness activities.

Skills

Structural analysis

FEM modelling

Model correlation

Reading drawings

Composite structures

Launch environments understanding

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace/Mechanical/Structural Engineering

Tools

NASTRAN

ANSYS

Abaqus

Altair OptiStruct

Job description

iO Associates are partnering with a leading space technology company to recruit a Spacecraft Structural Engineer. You will lead design analysis, testing and qualification of high‑performance spacecraft hardware across the full lifecycle from concept to flight readiness.

You will develop FEM models, perform hand calculations and work with manufacturers to ensure robust structures, vibration resistance and integration with subsystems in a collaborative team.