Senior Aerospace Structures Engineer – Defense Programs

HIKINEX; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

HIKINEX is seeking an experienced Structures Engineer to drive the design, analysis, and development of advanced air vehicle structures. You will own the full lifecycle from concept to prototype, delivering lightweight, resilient, and manufacturable primary and secondary aircraft structures.

Collaboration with multidisciplinary teams will be essential to meet demanding performance and mission requirements. Ideal candidates possess 5+ years in aerospace structural design/analysis, strong CAD/FEA

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering.
• 5+ years in aerospace structural design/analysis.
• Experience with CAD and FEA tools.
• Familiarity with ANSYS/NASTRAN or equivalent.
• Strong fundamentals in structural mechanics and fatigue.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop primary and secondary aircraft structural components and assemblies using metallic and composite materials.
• Perform structural modeling and finite element analysis (FEA) at the component, assembly, and vehicle levels.
• Conduct structural analyses, including strength, buckling, fatigue, damage tolerance, and delamination assessments.
• Apply Design for Manufacturing (DFM) principles to optimize cost, manufacturability, and performance.
• Conduct engineering trade studies to evaluate weight, performance, manufacturability, cost, and schedule.
• Collaborate with systems, aerodynamics, manufacturing, integration, and project engineering teams.
• Support prototype builds, manufacturing, integration, and testing activities.
• Prepare technical documentation, engineering analyses, and design reports.

Skills

Aerospace experience

Structural analysis

Problem solving

Team collaboration

Strong communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering

Tools

CAD software

ANSYS

NASTRAN

Siemens NX

Job description

HIKINEX is seeking an experienced Structures Engineer to drive the design, analysis, and development of advanced air vehicle structures. You will own the full lifecycle from concept to prototype, delivering lightweight, resilient, and manufacturable primary and secondary aircraft structures.

Collaboration with multidisciplinary teams will be essential to meet demanding performance and mission requirements. Ideal candidates possess 5+ years in aerospace structural design/analysis, strong CAD/FEA