Senior Composite Engineer - Spaceflight Structures Lead

Mclaurin Aerospace; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Generous PTO

Relocation assistance

Employer-paid insurance

Job summary

Mclaurin is seeking a Senior Composite Engineer to join our ESSCA contract team at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. You will design, analyze, and validate composite components for aerospace structures and work with cross-functional teams to deliver robust solutions.

The role requires deep experience with composite materials, laminate design, lightweight structures, and proficiency in CAD/FEA tools such as CATIA, NX, SolidWorks, Abaqus, ANSYS or Nastran.

Qualifications

• 10-15+ years of experience with composite materials and structural components (aerospace preferred).
• Experience with laminate design, basic FEA, and mechanical/thermal load assessment.
• Hands-on familiarity with autoclave layup, AFP/ATL, RTM/VARTM.

Responsibilities

• Perform design and analysis of composite components for aerospace structures.
• Develop laminate schedules, evaluate material behavior, and assess structural performance under mechanical and thermal loads.
• Support FEA modeling activities including linear and basic non-linear analysis, buckling checks, and failure assessments.
• Participate in trade studies and support requirements development.
• Work directly with MSFC engineering teams, suppliers, and other contractors to develop composite solutions.
• Support design reviews (PDR, CDR) by preparing presentation materials and technical documentation.
• Contribute to testing plans, NDI evaluation, and verification activities as needed.
• Support composite fabrication activities including autoclave layup, AFP/ATL, and resin infusion processes.
• Participate in tooling reviews, process development, and troubleshooting of manufacturing issues.
• Assist with material evaluation, process documentation, and coordination with manufacturing engineering.
• Support composite component testing, data review, and correlation activities.
• Assist with structural test planning, failure investigation activities, and corrective action discussions.
• Maintain configuration, documentation, and compliance with engineering processes.
• Communicate effectively across disciplines and contribute to a collaborative team environment.

Skills

Composite materials

Laminate design

FEA basics

Mechanical/thermal load assessment

Documentation

Tools

CATIA

NX

SolidWorks

Abaqus

ANSYS

Nastran

Job description

Mclaurin is seeking a Senior Composite Engineer to join our ESSCA contract team at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. You will design, analyze, and validate composite components for aerospace structures and work with cross-functional teams to deliver robust solutions.

The role requires deep experience with composite materials, laminate design, lightweight structures, and proficiency in CAD/FEA tools such as CATIA, NX, SolidWorks, Abaqus, ANSYS or Nastran.