Structural Engineer - Composites

Roadrunner Studios; Knoxville (TN); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Perseus Materials seeks a structural engineering lead for composite structures and processing equipment. You will take concepts from napkin sketches to validated designs, running hand calculations, building FEA models, selecting materials, and defining layup schedules, while coordinating with fabricators to ensure builds match designs.

You will create and defend engineering analyses, develop test plans, and document assumptions and load cases.

Qualifications

• 2+ years experience in a commercial composites manufacturing environment.
• Hands-on experience with laminate schedules, layup, and material systems.
• Strong foundation in lamination theory, anisotropic behavior, and failure criteria.
• Proficiency with FEA software for linear, nonlinear, and buckling analyses.
• Ability to perform and defend hand calculations without over-reliance on simulation.
• Experience interpreting engineering drawings with GD&T and composite callouts.
• Familiarity with ASTM, MIL-HDBK-17 / CMH-17, DNV or similar standards.

Responsibilities

• Lead structural design and analysis of composite structures and processing equipment from concept through qualification.
• Perform first-principles hand calculations for stress, deflection, buckling, fatigue, and joint analysis.
• Develop and execute FEA models to validate designs and guide optimization.
• Define laminate schedules, fiber orientations, and material systems based on requirements.
• Collaborate with fabrication teams to ensure manufacturability and proper layup, cure, and tooling.
• Select and justify materials based on mechanical, thermal, and environmental needs.
• Develop and support structural test plans; correlate test results to predictions and close gaps.
• Maintain design documentation: assumptions, load cases, analysis reports, and drawings.

Skills

Composite structures

Hand calculations

Stress analysis

Fabrication collaboration

Analytical thinking

Education

Degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Civil, or Structural Engineering

Tools

Abaqus

Ansys

Nastran

Job description

About Perseus Materials

Perseus Materials is a hard tech composites startup developing next‑generation processing equipment and structures for advanced materials manufacturing. We work at the intersection of materials science, structural engineering, and precision fabrication to build things that don’t exist yet. Our work is defense‑adjacent, technically demanding, and moves fast.

We are a small team where everyone contributes directly to the product. There is real ownership, real technical challenge, and no shortage of hard problems to solve.

What You’ll Do

You will be the structural engineering lead for composite structures and processing equipment at Perseus. That means taking a concept from napkin sketch to validated design – running hand calculations, building FEA models, selecting materials, defining layup schedules, and working directly with fabricators to make sure what gets built matches what was designed. Requirements will often be ambiguous. You will be expected to make sound engineering judgments, document your reasoning, and iterate quickly.

Responsibilities

• Lead structural design and analysis of composite structures and processing equipment from concept through qualification
• Perform first‑principles hand calculations for stress, deflection, buckling, fatigue, and joint analysis – independent of simulation tools
• Develop and execute FEA models to validate designs, identify failure modes, and guide structural optimization
• Define composite laminate schedules, fiber orientations, and material systems based on structural requirements and manufacturing constraints
• Collaborate with fabrication teams to ensure designs are manufacturable and that layup, cure, and tooling requirements are clearly specified
• Select and justify materials – fiber, matrix, core, adhesives – based on mechanical, thermal, and environmental requirements
• Develop and support structural test plans; correlate test results to analytical predictions and close out discrepancies
• Maintain clear design documentation: assumptions, load cases, analysis reports, and drawing callouts
• Contribute to DFM (design for manufacturability) reviews and support continuous improvement of fabrication processes

Preferred Qualifications

• 2+ Years Experience in a commercial composites manufacturing environment
• Degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Civil, or Structural Engineering, or equivalent demonstrated experience
• Hands‑on experience with composite structures in an applied context – aerospace, marine, wind energy, motorsport, or similar
• Strong foundation in classical lamination theory, anisotropic material behavior, and composite failure criteria (Tsai‑Wu, Hashin, max strain, etc.)
• Proficiency with FEA software (Abaqus, Ansys, Nastran, or equivalent) for linear, nonlinear, and buckling analyses
• Demonstrated ability to perform and defend structural hand calculations without relying on simulation as a first resort
• Familiarity with composite fabrication methods: wet layup, prepreg, vacuum infusion, autoclave, out‑of‑autoclave, filament winding
• Experience interpreting and generating engineering drawings with appropriate GD&T and composite‑specific callouts
• Exposure to structural testing methods: coupon, element, and full‑scale; familiar with DIC, strain gauging, or load frame testing
• Working knowledge of relevant standards and specifications (ASTM, MIL‑HDBK‑17 / CMH‑17, DNV, or similar)
• Experience in a regulated or compliance‑driven engineering environment is a plus

You’ll Thrive Here If

• You have built something structural out of composite materials – a boat hull, a wing, a pressure vessel, a race car tub – and you know what it actually takes to get there
• You are comfortable reaching for a whiteboard and a free body diagram before opening a simulation tool
• You have caught a fabrication error because you understood the process well enough to recognize it
• You can work from a rough performance requirement and fill in the engineering yourself
• You are energized by ambiguous, novel problems and find excessive process more frustrating than helpful

Location & Work Environment

This is a full‑time, on‑site role. Perseus operates in a hands‑on lab and fabrication environment – you will be working alongside parts, tooling, and test hardware regularly. Remote work is not available for this position.