Senior Stress Engineer - Advanced Composites

Approach Venture; Hawthorne (CA); On-site; USD 175,000 - 215,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Growth potential

Lunch provided

401(k) with employer matching

Job summary

Approach Venture in Hawthorne, CA is seeking a Senior Composites Stress Engineer to own the structural analysis for advanced aerospace composites. You will build the FEA capability from the ground up, develop material models, and guide design decisions, working hands-on with testing and manufacturing data.

The ideal candidate has a bachelor’s in mechanical/ aerospace/ materials science and 3+ years of experience in stress analysis of composites; proficiency with FEA (Abaqus preferred), CAD, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Materials Science, Composites Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• 3+ years of professional experience performing structural or stress analysis of composite materials and structures.
• Experience developing and refining finite element models for composite materials.
• Ability to define material properties, boundary conditions, load cases, failure criteria, and other FEA inputs.
• Experience using FEA to optimize composite structures for weight and mechanical performance.
• Strong CAD proficiency with experience creating parts, assemblies, and engineering drawings.
• Working knowledge of GD&T.
• On-site in El Segundo, California.
• U.S. Person status required due to export control regulations.
• Abaqus experience and nonlinear structural analysis are preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own structural and stress analysis for fiber-reinforced composite components and assemblies.
• Establish the company's FEA methodology, including software selection, model architecture, material parameters, validation methods, and engineering standards.
• Develop and refine nonlinear and composite FEA models for novel material systems.
• Use structural analysis to optimize composite geometry, weight, strength, stiffness, and overall performance.
• Correlate analytical predictions with coupon, subcomponent, and full-scale hardware testing.
• Design mechanical test methods and fixtures to validate material behavior and structural performance.
• Support hands-on execution of structural testing and analyze resulting test data.
• Define structural requirements and provide technical direction throughout product development.

Tools

Abaqus

Job description

Senior Composites Stress Engineer - Advanced Aerospace Structures

Hawthorne, California | On-site

Opportunity Summary

Join a well-funded advanced manufacturing startup developing high-performance composite structures for aerospace and defense applications. The company is scaling a new manufacturing approach designed to produce complex fiber-reinforced components significantly faster and more efficiently than traditional composite processes. As the Senior Composites Stress Engineer, you will become the primary owner of structural analysis for a new class of composite materials and components. You will build the company's FEA capability from the ground up, develop and validate material models, guide structural design decisions, and connect simulation results with physical testing and manufacturing data. This is a hands-on technical ownership role with significant influence over how composite structures are analyzed, designed, tested, and ultimately brought into production.

About Us

We are an early-stage advanced manufacturing company developing lightweight composite hardware for demanding aerospace and defense applications. Following a significant seed financing, the company is expanding engineering and manufacturing capabilities as it moves from technology development toward larger-scale production. The team works across materials, design, analysis, testing, manufacturing, and production to develop composite components capable of meeting demanding structural and environmental requirements.

Job Duties

• Own structural and stress analysis for fiber-reinforced composite components and assemblies
• Establish the company's FEA methodology, including software selection, model architecture, material parameters, validation methods, and engineering standards
• Develop and refine nonlinear and composite FEA models for novel material systems
• Use structural analysis to optimize composite geometry, weight, strength, stiffness, and overall performance
• Develop analysis methods for both continuous and discontinuous fiber-reinforced structures
• Translate material properties, manufacturing constraints, load cases, and system requirements into accurate simulation models
• Correlate analytical predictions with coupon, subcomponent, and full-scale hardware testing
• Design mechanical test methods and fixtures to validate material behavior and structural performance
• Support hands‑on execution of structural testing and analyze resulting test data
• Perform failure analysis and root cause investigations on development and production hardware
• Work closely with design and manufacturing engineers to incorporate analysis results into product development
• Support CAD development, drawing creation, and GD&T where required to move designs into hardware
• Define structural requirements and provide technical direction throughout product development
• Support customer‑facing technical discussions involving structural performance and analysis
• Document analysis methodologies, assumptions, results, and validation data
• Help establish scalable structural analysis processes as the engineering organization grows

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Materials Science, Composites Engineering, or a related technical discipline
• 3+ years of professional experience performing structural or stress analysis of composite materials and structures
• Strong experience developing and refining finite element models for composite materials
• Demonstrated ability to develop analysis approaches for new materials, architectures, or applications without relying solely on established models
• Experience defining material properties, boundary conditions, load cases, failure criteria, and other FEA inputs
• Experience using FEA to optimize composite structures for weight and mechanical performance
• Strong understanding of composite material behavior and structural failure modes
• Experience developing mechanical test methods for coupons, representative structures, or full-scale components
• Experience correlating analytical models with physical test results
• Experience performing failure analysis and root cause investigations
• Strong CAD proficiency with experience creating parts, assemblies, and engineering drawings
• Working knowledge of GD&T
• Strong technical communication and cross‑functional collaboration skills
• Ability to work on-site in El Segundo, California
• U.S. Person status required due to export control regulations

Preferred Experience

• Experience analyzing both continuous‑fiber laminates and chopped or discontinuous fiber composites
• Abaqus experience
• Nonlinear structural analysis experience
• Thermal or coupled thermal-structural analysis experience
• Composite manufacturing experience
• Aerospace or defense structural analysis experience
• Experience analyzing structures subjected to extreme acceleration, impact, dynamic loading, or other demanding environments
• Experience developing custom material models, failure criteria, or novel analysis methodologies
• Experience working directly with composite testing and characterization
• Experience presenting structural analysis and technical recommendations to customers or senior leadership
• Experience working within an early-stage company or small multidisciplinary engineering team

Why Join Us

• Significant stock option opportunity
• Potential additional compensation
• 10+ vacation days annually
• 5 paid sick days annually
• Paid holidays and additional company days off
• Daily company‑provided lunch
• 401(k) with employer matching up to 4%
• Medical insurance with employer contribution
• Dental and vision insurance with employer contribution
• Company‑paid life, short‑term disability, and long‑term disability insurance
• Opportunity to establish and own the company's structural analysis capability
• Clear growth potential as the structural engineering organization expands
• Opportunity to build and eventually lead a team of structural and stress engineers

Compensation Details

$175,000 - $215,000