Senior Structural Analyst – Launch Vehicle Structures

Rocket Lab; Auckland; On-site; NZD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Rocket Lab in Auckland, New Zealand, is seeking a Senior Structural Analyst for the Neutron program. You will own the design and validation of primary and secondary structures, collaborating with design, manufacturing, and test teams to mature concepts into build-ready configurations.

You will develop FE models, evaluate design margins under static, dynamic, and thermal loads, and contribute to test plans and data interpretation while mentoring junior engineers in a fast-paced aerospace

Qualifications

• Degree in Mechanical Engineering or similar field.
• 5+ years’ experience performing structural analysis in high performance applications.
• Strong understanding of composites fundamentals and lamination theory.
• Experience with structural FEA packages: NASTRAN, ANSYS, Abaqus, Optistruct/Hyperworks.
• Experience with composite manufacture and prototyping.

Responsibilities

• Support the analysis of primary and secondary structures, including composites and metallic components, and integrated structural assemblies.
• Build, run, and post-process FE models to calculate design responses and margins to static, dynamic, and thermal loads.
• Collaborate with design engineers to develop concepts, and manufacturing engineers to identify suitable materials, and define pragmatic build processes.
• Work alongside test engineers to define test plans, monitor test activities, and post-process test data against analytical predictions.
• Develop and document structural analysis methods.
• Proactively identify and solve technical challenges to allow projects to proceed at pace.
• Technically assist junior engineers.

Skills

Structural analysis

Composites fundamentals

FEA software

Composite testing

Manufacturing support

Deadline-driven

Education

ME degree

Tools

NX

Fibersim

SolidWorks

CATIA

Teamcenter

Job description

Rocket Lab in Auckland, New Zealand, is seeking a Senior Structural Analyst for the Neutron program. You will own the design and validation of primary and secondary structures, collaborating with design, manufacturing, and test teams to mature concepts into build-ready configurations.

You will develop FE models, evaluate design margins under static, dynamic, and thermal loads, and contribute to test plans and data interpretation while mentoring junior engineers in a fast-paced aerospace