Staff Airframe Stress Engineer

XWING; Santa Cruz (CA); On-site; USD 185,000 - 255,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

RSUs

Healthcare benefits

401(k) with company match

ESPP

Job summary

Joby Aviation seeks an experienced Staff Airframe Stress Engineer focused on fatigue and damage tolerance. You will lead substantiation for primary structures, develop certification strategies, and perform crack growth analyses using NASGRO, ensuring durability and airworthiness.

The role requires on-site work in Santa Cruz, CA, with 8+ years in aerospace and strong knowledge of FAA guidance. A MS/PhD is a plus; RSUs and comprehensive benefits are provided.

Qualifications

• Requires 8+ years in aerospace with fatigue and damage tolerance focus.
• Experience substantiating fatigue of primary aircraft structures.
• Experience performing crack growth analyses using NASGRO or similar tools.

Responsibilities

• Lead fatigue and damage tolerance substantiation of aircraft primary structures.
• Develop substantiation strategies, certification plans and compliance approaches.
• Perform fatigue life assessments using analytical and numerical methods.
• Support structural design by identifying fatigue-critical features and recommending improvements.
• Develop fatigue test programs and certify documentation.

Skills

Fatigue & D/T

Fracture mechanics

NASGRO

Education

B.S in Aerospace Engineering

B.S in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline

Tools

NASGRO software

Job description

Staff Airframe Stress Engineer

Job Locations US-CA-Santa Cruz

ID 2026-5227

Category Airframe & Actuators

Type Regular Full-Time

Company Overview

Imagine a piloted air taxi that takes off vertically, then quietly carries you and your fellow passengers over the congested city streets below, enabling you to spend more time with the people and places that matter most. At Joby, we've been working to make that dream a reality since 2009 and we're now in the final stages of certifying our aircraft with the FAA. With plans to launch our aircraft in the US and Dubai, we're now scaling manufacturing and preparing for the launch of our commercial service.

Overview

Joby Aviation is seeking an experienced staff level Fatigue & Damage Tolerance (F&D T) engineer who believes in the ability of urban air mobility to positively impact our cities. This role is an exciting position within the structures engineering team, as it allows for the engineer to interface with many disciplines within the company and assume a major role in the design of the aircraft. Prototypes are designed quickly and efficiently, meaning attention to detail is critical. This team member will have extensive experience leading fatigue and damage tolerance efforts through aircraft development and certification programs and will serve as a subject matter expert for structural durability and airworthiness.

Responsibilities

• Lead fatigue and damage tolerance substantiation of aircraft primary structures
• Develop fatigue and damage tolerance methodologies, certification strategies, and compliance approaches for aircraft certification programs
• Perform fatigue life assessments using analytical and numerical methods
• Conduct crack initiation, crack growth, and residual strength analyses using fracture mechanics principles and industry-standard tools such as NASGRO
• Support structural design development by identifying fatigue-critical features and recommending design improvements
• Develop structural fatigue and durability test programs, including coupon, element, subcomponent, and full-scale test strategies
• Author fatigue and damage tolerance test plans, reports, and certification documentation
• Define inspection intervals, structural maintenance requirements, and continued airworthiness programs based on damage tolerance assessments

Required

• B.S in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or another related discipline
• 8+ years of working experience in aerospace industry with significant emphasis on fatigue and damage tolerance
• Demonstrated experience performing fatigue and damage tolerance substantiation of primary aircraft structures
• Strong knowledge of fatigue, fracture mechanics, and damage tolerance methodologies
• Experience performing crack growth analyses using NASGRO or equivalent fracture mechanics software
• Experience developing fatigue substantiation strategies, certification plans, and compliance documentation for aircraft certification programs
• Experience developing and executing structural durability and fatigue test programs, including authoring test plans, test reports, and analysis reports
• Experience developing structural inspection programs and continued airworthiness requirements
• Experience developing mission spectra and fatigue load spectra for structural durability and damage tolerance assessments
• Experience supporting full-scale fatigue test campaigns and certification activities
• Working knowledge of FAA Part 23 and/or Part 27 airworthiness requirements and associated guidance material
• Ability to work onsite in Santa Cruz, CA

Desired

• M.S. or Ph.D. in relevant discipline
• 12+ years of working experience in aerospace industry
• Experience with both metallic and composite airframe structures
• Experience supporting rotorcraft, or other highly fatigue-critical aerospace structures
• Familiarity with military and commercial fatigue and damage tolerance standards
• Experience leading fatigue and damage tolerance activities through a complete aircraft certification program

Additional Information

Compensation at Joby is a combination of base pay and Restricted Stock Units (RSUs). The target base pay for this position is $185,300 - $254,800/yr. The compensation package will be determined by job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Joby also offers a comprehensive benefits package, including paid time off, healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan with a company match, an employee stock purchase plan (ESPP), short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, and more.

Joby is an Equal Opportunity Employer.