Senior Structural Analyst — Aerospace FEM & Fatigue

Archer; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 144,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Archer is an aerospace company based in San Jose, California building an all-electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft with a mission to advance the benefits of sustainable air mobility.

We are seeking a senior structural analyst to perform stress analyses, develop standards, mentor designers, and produce substantiation reports to support FAA airworthiness. The role requires hands-on FEM work, collaboration, and reliability in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience with aircraft, spacecraft, launch vehicle or powertrain structures.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering field, MS preferred.
• Proven experience with stress, fatigue, and/or damage tolerance analysis on metallic/composite structures.
• Experience in structural analysis via hand calculations and Finite Element Analysis.
• Able to develop free-body diagrams for internal and reaction load derivation, and strength analysis.
• Proficient in Nastran, Optistruct, Ansys, Abaqus, LS-Dyna.
• Strong understanding of FEM modeling techniques (boundary conditions, bolted connections, contact, verification).
• Knowledge of fatigue/fracture (AFGRO/NASGRO, spectra development, NDE methods, damage tolerance).
• Self-starter, team player, and ability to work in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Perform trade studies, requirements derivation, and establish the overall vehicle configuration based on requirements
• Complete hand calc and FEM analysis of primary and secondary aerospace structures
• Develop company standards for model creation, strength checks, and analysis report generation
• Compile documentation of stress analysis to support release of engineering drawings and documents
• Work closely with and mentor designers and junior structural analysts in stress/stability/fracture analysis best practices
• Provide technical guidance on design concepts (risk vs. cost vs. performance)
• Perform stress analysis using Finite Element Methods for static, dynamic, fatigue, and/or damage tolerance to support program design, fabrication, testing, and/or structural integrity activities
• Support test execution and analyze test results to validate and verify that designs meet requirements and specifications
• Write detailed structural substantiation reports and other technical reports as required in order to obtain FAA airworthiness approvals

Skills

Stress analysis

Fatigue/damage tolerance

FEA experience

Free-body diagrams

Scripting/automation (Python/ Matlab)

Team player

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

MS preferred

Tools

Nastran

Optistruct

Ansys

Abaqus

LS-Dyna

Job description

Archer is an aerospace company based in San Jose, California building an all-electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft with a mission to advance the benefits of sustainable air mobility.

We are seeking a senior structural analyst to perform stress analyses, develop standards, mentor designers, and produce substantiation reports to support FAA airworthiness. The role requires hands-on FEM work, collaboration, and reliability in a fast-paced environment.