Senior Structural Analyst — Spacecraft FEA & Verification

Impulse Space; Redondo Beach (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 205,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Medical coverage

Vision coverage

401(k) retirement plan

Job summary

Impulse Space in Redondo Beach is seeking a Senior Structural Analyst to lead structural analysis efforts for spacecraft reliability and performance. You will define analytical approaches, models, and verification strategies to guide development and enable fast, high-quality decisions across teams.

You will own FEM models, perform hand calculations and high-fidelity analyses, and drive margins for metallic and composite structures.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Civil/Structural Engineering, or related technical discipline.

Responsibilities

• Own Global Vehicle FEM models, defining model requirements and fidelity.
• Align Vehicle models to be used for both static structural and dynamic (CLA) analysis.
• Develop and perform first-order hand calculations, rapid analytical assessments, and high-fidelity finite element analyses to evaluate static, dynamic, and environmental loads against strength, stiffness, stability, and fatigue.
• Generate margins for metallic and composite structures, including joints and interfaces (bolted, bonded, etc.).
• Set the standard for analysis at Impulse, generating reusable analysis methods, templates, and workflows that improve structural design speed, consistency, and technical rigor.
• Support the development of scalable analysis approaches and infrastructure aligned with a fast‑paced development environment.
• Provide expert input on a wide range of analysis and verification problems, including, pressurized structures, welds, composites, fatigue, stability, non‑linear analysis, and more
• Develop plans for launch loads derivation, test loads definition, qualification strategy, acceptance testing, and structural verification.
• Correlate FEM models with test and flight data to improve prediction accuracy
• Drive root‑cause investigations for structural failures, test anomalies, model‑test correlation gaps, and hardware nonconformances

Skills

Solid mechanics

Strength of materials

Structural dynamics

Fatigue analysis

Bolted joints

Load paths

Stiffness

Python

MATLAB

VBA

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Civil/Structural Engineering, Engineering Mechanics, or related technical discipline

Master’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, or related field

Tools

NASTRAN

FEMAP

NX

Job description

Impulse Space in Redondo Beach is seeking a Senior Structural Analyst to lead structural analysis efforts for spacecraft reliability and performance. You will define analytical approaches, models, and verification strategies to guide development and enable fast, high-quality decisions across teams.

You will own FEM models, perform hand calculations and high-fidelity analyses, and drive margins for metallic and composite structures.