Senior Structural Analyst

Rainier Recruiting; Kent (WA); On-site; USD 105,000 - 175,000; Full time

Job summary

Rainier Recruiting is seeking an experienced structural analysis engineer to support the 2nd Generation New Glenn program from concept through launch. You will own designs of primary and secondary structures, perform sizing and FEA, and collaborate with manufacturing to ensure successful hardware integration.

The role requires 6+ years in aerospace structures, strong CAD/FEA capabilities (Creo/ Windchill), and experience with standard codes like Ansys, Nastran, Optistruct, and Hypermesh.

Qualifications

• Minimum of a B.S. degree in engineering and 6+ years of experience with aircraft, spacecraft, or launch vehicle structures.
• Experience with vehicle load path distribution and first order strength assessment and sizing.
• Proficiency with CAD, FEA, and multi-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of hardware lifecycle from requirements to integration.
• Analyze, develop, and test primary and secondary structures for launch vehicles.
• Perform hand calculations and FEM analyses to report margins of safety.
• Document stress analyses to support release of drawings and specifications.
• Lead testing planning, data reduction, and test-report authoring.

Skills

Structural analysis

FEM

Leadership

Communication

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Tools

Ansys

Nastran

Optistruct

Hypermesh

Creo/Windchill

Job description

100% Onsite Role, Kent, WA

Up to $127/hr plus overtime available

6 month contract to hire role with high probability of conversion to FTE

Job Description

This role supports the development of the 2nd Generation of New Glenn, a heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle capable of routinely carrying people and payloads to low-Earth orbit, geostationary transfer orbit, cislunar, and beyond. This position will be directly involved in the design of the next progression of New Glenn Payload Accommodations hardware, including the larger diameter 8.7M payload fairing and adapters.

As part of a small hardworking team of engineers, you will be responsible for strength analysis of primary and secondary structures for New Glenn Payload Accommodations structure. In this role, you will take ownership of designs from concept through launch, perform initial sizing, analysis, development, testing, and qualification of structural subsystems, and work directly with our manufacturing teams to ensure successful hardware integration.

We are looking for someone to apply their technical expertise, leadership skills, and commitment to quality to positively impact safe human spaceflight. Passion for our mission and vision is required!

Responsibilities include:

• Take ownership of the full lifecycle of hardware from requirements definition through concept development, design, analysis, testing, qualification, and integration.
• Analyze, develop, and test primary and secondary metallic and composite unpressurized structures.
• Complete hand calc and FEM analyses to report margins of safety for primary and secondary aerospace structures.
• Documentation of stress analysis to support release of engineering drawings and documents.
• Perform research, develop concepts, and run trade studies providing technical guidance (risk vs. cost vs. performance).
• Build system and detail level models supporting structural design.
• Take ownership of structural test planning, execution, data reduction, analysis, and authoring of test reports.
• Prepare technical content and present to internal and external customers.
• Collaborate with internal and external teams throughout design, manufacturing, and mission integration.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Minimum of a B.S. degree in engineering and 6+ years of experience with aircraft, spacecraft, or launch vehicle structures.
• Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.
• Experience on recently developed aircraft or launch vehicles in one or more of the following areas: Vehicle load path distribution, and first order strength assessment and sizing. Skin-stringer, orthogrid, isogrid, and composite sandwich panel design.
• Experience working in a multi-functional organization to develop designs and produce world-class engineered products.
• Strong understanding of composite and metallic design fundamentals.
• Demonstrated expertise with any industry standard analysis codes: Ansys, Nastran, Optistruct, Hypermesh.
• Experience in bolted joint design and analysis.
• Structural design experience using CAD (Creo/Windchill preferred), hand calculations, and FEA tools.
• Ability to take ownership of the hardware lifecycle from requirements definition through concept development, design, analysis, testing, qualification, and integration onto a launch vehicle.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Collaborative attitude and effective interpersonal skills.
• Self-motivated with a strong desire to learn, take ownership, and drive projects to completion.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with rapid development techniques for hardware.
• Experience with fabrication using automated fiber placement (AFP) and tape laying (ATL).
• Experience or expertise with fabrication of large-scale out-of-autoclave composite structures.
• Demonstrated experience developing manufacturing processes for transition to production.
• Knowledge of systems engineering practices, fabrication and integration processes, and quality control.
• Experience with Optimization and Design of Experiments (DOE) methods as applied to design, analysis, and testing.

Who is Rainier Recruiting

Rainier Recruiting is a boutique, award winning national staffing agency and executive search firm. Using an approach that “treats every candidate like an executive search”, we offer positions in contract-to-hire, Full-Time, and executive search. Named the #1 Best Workplace in Washington State in 2022, recognized as a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing firm, and identified as a top recruitment firm by multiple business journals, Rainier Recruiting is fast becoming a respected company. We are no longer the “best recruiters you have never heard of”. Rainier Recruiting is also proud to share our clients have a 93% repeat business rate. Rainier Recruiting is an equal opportunity employer and service provider and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, citizenship status, sexual orientation, disability, political affiliation or belief, or any other protected class. We are committed to the principles of Equal Opportunity Employment and are dedicated to making employment decisions based on merit and value, for ourselves, our client companies, and for the candidates we represent. We engage in socially conscious business practices and believe that diverse, equitable, inclusive, and non-biased talent and recruitment processes are foundational to the success of every organization that we partner with.