Lead Space Vehicle Loads & Dynamics Engineer

Cowboy Space Corporation; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Medical insurance

401(k)

PTO

10 holidays

Parental leave

Relocation assistance

Lunch in office

Job summary

Cowboy Space Corp. is seeking an experienced Loads and Dynamics Engineer to serve as the technical authority for vehicle loads and the dynamic environments it must survive.

You will own load cases across ascent, separation, entry, and reuse, setting the methodology and mentoring teams to balance fidelity with speed. This senior individual contributor will define methods and standards, develop FEM models, and coordinate with propulsion, aero, GNC, and structures to deliver coherent load sets and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, or related field.
• 8+ years in loads, structural dynamics, or vibration for flight hardware.
• Proficient with finite element modeling and dynamic analysis.
• Experience correlating models with test/flight data.

Responsibilities

• Own the vehicle loads as discipline lead across ground handling, ascent, separation, entry, landing, and reuse.
• Establish methods, tools, and standards the loads and dynamics discipline works to.
• Build and maintain structural dynamic models (FEM, modal, coupled loads) and reconcile with test/flight data.
• Define vibration, shock, acoustic, and random-vibe environments for components, mechanisms, and payloads.
• Perform coupled loads analysis (CLA) and integrate propulsion, aero, GNC, and structural inputs into a consistent load set.
• Deliver clear, timely load sets and interface requirements to structures, mechanisms, and propulsion teams.
• Assess flutter, buffet, slosh, and other aeroelastic/coupled dynamic phenomena.
• Support test planning and correlation—modal surveys, static and dynamic test campaigns—and update models from results.
• Investigate anomalies and reconstruct flight loads from telemetry to improve future load predictions.
• Mentor junior engineers and provide technical guidance across the structures and mechanisms teams.

Skills

Loads analysis

Structural dynamics

FEM

Vibration analysis

Python

MATLAB

Adams

LS-DYNA

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace or Mechanical

Tools

Adams

LS-DYNA

Python

MATLAB

Job description

Cowboy Space Corp. is seeking an experienced Loads and Dynamics Engineer to serve as the technical authority for vehicle loads and the dynamic environments it must survive.

You will own load cases across ascent, separation, entry, and reuse, setting the methodology and mentoring teams to balance fidelity with speed. This senior individual contributor will define methods and standards, develop FEM models, and coordinate with propulsion, aero, GNC, and structures to deliver coherent load sets and