Senior Stress & FEA Methods Engineer

Archer; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 152,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Archer is seeking an experienced engineer in San Jose to join our team as a Staff Stress Methods Engineer. You will develop predictive FE methods, calibrate material models with test data, and demonstrate high-fidelity correlation at component and system levels to accelerate certification.

The role requires a bachelor’s in aerospace or mechanical engineering and 5+ years of FE experience, with strong ANSYS/NASTRAN skills. Travel up to 10% to Archer facilities or suppliers is possible.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering required.
• 5+ years of professional FE modeling experience.
• Expert-level proficiency in ANSYS, NASTRAN, or similar FE software.
• Deep understanding of FEM and material behavior including plasticity and failure theories.
• Experience with modeling complex material behavior and generating material cards.
• Familiarity with measurement tools and mechanical testing equipment.
• Strong technical, written, and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Establish and document best practices for structural validation from coupon-level to full-scale vehicle airframes.
• Lead testing efforts to characterize material properties and interactions within larger systems.
• Develop predictive modeling methods for complex material behavior including plasticity, high strain rates, environmental conditions, and failure.
• Demonstrate test-vs-simulation correlation across the Building Block Pyramid for various load cases.
• Collaborate with the broader structural analysis team to improve internal analysis methods and software tools.

Skills

Finite element modeling

ANSYS/NASTRAN

FEM fundamentals

Material behavior

Test data calibration

Communication skills

Travel readiness

Technical writing

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace/Mechanical Engineering

Master’s or PhD preferred

Tools

NX

ANSA

Meta

HyperX

NCODE

Python

MATLAB

Job description

Archer is seeking an experienced engineer in San Jose to join our team as a Staff Stress Methods Engineer. You will develop predictive FE methods, calibrate material models with test data, and demonstrate high-fidelity correlation at component and system levels to accelerate certification.

The role requires a bachelor’s in aerospace or mechanical engineering and 5+ years of FE experience, with strong ANSYS/NASTRAN skills. Travel up to 10% to Archer facilities or suppliers is possible.