Structures and Mechanisms Engineer, HLS

Mclaurin Aerospace; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Relocation assistance (if applicable)

Education assistance

Employer-paid insurance

Job summary

Mclaurin Aerospace, working with NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, seeks a Structures and Mechanisms Engineer, HLS. You will lead day-to-day GFP structural readiness, coordinate verification evidence, and assess interface requirements for a lunar lander program.

The role requires a bachelor’s in engineering and 5–10 years of related experience, with proficiency in FEA tools and NASA standards. Relocation and security clearance may be involved; strong communication skills are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related field.
• 5–10 years of related experience.
• Ability to obtain security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Perform risk based structural insight reviews of deliverables (design data books, stress analyses, verification plans, hazard reports, test results).
• Map requirements traceability between HLS structural requirements and verification events; identify gaps or risks.
• Review compliance with HLS standards across provider hardware.
• Review test plans, test reports, and structural verification datasets for human rated lunar lander hardware.
• Engage with commercial providers through insight forums and sessions related to NASA GFP.

Skills

Verbal communication

Written communication

Teamwork

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related field

Tools

Creo

FEMAP

NX

ABAQUS

ANSYS

Nastran

Job description

Are you passionate about human space exploration, understanding the origins of the universe, and working with a passionate and diverse team to make a difference? If you are, we need you!

We need your talent, teamwork, and energy to help us achieve great things that inspire people all over the globe. We need you to bring creative ideas and diverse backgrounds to help us envision, shape, and deliver systems that will enable the exploration of space while benefiting people here on Earth. We are excited about what we do, and we need you on our team as we take on exciting challenges for NASA's pursuits in deep space exploration.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Structures and Mechanisms Engineer, HLS to join our JETS II contract team at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX.

If selected you will:

• Perform risk based structural insight reviews of commercial provider deliverables, including design data books, stress analysis reports, verification plans, hazard reports, and test results.
• Conduct requirements traceability mapping between HLS structural requirements and provider Verification Events (VEs), identifying verification gaps, inconsistencies, or risks.
• Review provider compliance with HLS adjudicated design and construction standards, ensuring correct interpretation and application across provider hardware.
• Review qualification and acceptance test plans, test reports, and structural performance verification datasets for human rated lunar lander structural hardware.
• Engage with commercial providers through Structures & Mechanisms Insight Forums, including sessions related to NASA owned GFP.
• Support the HLS Crew Structures Lead through contribution to Blue Origin and SpaceX milestone readiness evaluations and additional insight duties as assigned.
• GFP Structural Readiness - Responsible Engineer (RE) Role
• Serve as the Responsible Engineer (RE) for NASA owned GFP structural readiness within HLS Crew Structures, leading day to day tracking, documentation, and communication of GFP structural status and verification progress.
• Maintain authoritative ownership of the Crew Structures GFP Confluence pages, ensuring clear documentation of structural analyses, load cases, configuration changes, verification evidence, structural risks, and readiness posture for all GFP items.
• Review NASA GFP project structural analyses, interface requirements, qualification and acceptance results, materials data, and integration documentation to evaluate structural sufficiency for lander integration.
• Coordinate across NASA GFP provisioning teams, HLS SE&I, CrewCo, SVS, provider insight teams, and integration stakeholders to ensure GFP structural verification evidence is properly interpreted, communicated, and dispositioned.
• Identify structural risks or verification gaps affecting GFP readiness and elevate these to the HLS Crew Structures Lead for action, formal risk management, or follow up within insight workflows.
• Provide monthly GFP project structural readiness status updates to the HLS Crew Structures Lead, supporting CrewCo's monthly reporting cycle with updates on accomplishments, risks, concerns, upcoming deliverables, and verification progress.
• Risk Reduction Structural Analysis
• Perform independent structural analyses using CAD/FEA tools such as Creo, FEMAP, NX, and the NASTRAN solver (primary code) to assess provider design maturity, load path behavior, and structural margins.
• Build, refine, and execute finite element models to validate provider assumptions, identify structural sensitivities, and disclose risk areas prior to program milestones.
• Conduct targeted NASA structural evaluations to independently characterize structural risk, support risk reduction activities, and strengthen insight understanding of commercial lander architectures.
• Clearly communicate analysis findings, model results, and independent assessments to the HLS Crew Structures Lead to support decision making, milestone preparation, and structural readiness assessments.

Qualifications:

This position has been posted at multiple levels. Depending on the candidate's experience, requirements, and business needs, we reserve the right to consider candidates at any level for which this position has been advertised.

• Typically requires a minimum of a bachelor's degree in Engineering and normally possess 5- 10 years of related experience. License and certification may be required.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 3+ years of experience designing, analyzing, or building structural or mechanical systems (internship, competitive school projects, and research-based experience qualify)
• Bachelor's degree in aerospace, mechanical, or structural engineering
• 5+ years of professional experience in any, or in support of the following industries: aerospace, automotive, aviation
• Familiarity with relevant NASA, DoD, ASME, and AIAA design & construction standards (e.g. NASA-STD-5001, NASA STD-5017, NASA-STD-5020, JSC 65828)
• Proficiency with the following FEA solvers: ABAQUS, ANSYS, or Nastran
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to succinctly present analytical results and recommendations

Benefits

• Competitive pay
• Positive work-life balance
• 100% Employer paid insurance including: Medical, dental, vision, life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment, short-term disability, and long-term disability
• 11 paid holidays annually
• Generous PTO
• 401k after 12 months of service with employer match
• Education assistance
• Relocation assistance (if applicable)

Mclaurin is a unique organization with a special focus on combining the best features of research and industry in order to foster innovation. Our organization strongly supports research, publication, and engagement with the academic community. We encourage our employees to remain on the cutting edge of new developments in their respective disciplines.

US Citizenship and the ability to pass a comprehensive security background investigation is required.

Mclaurin is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status or other characteristics protected by law.