We have an exciting opportunity for a Fracture Control Engineer to join our JETS II contract team at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX.
If selected you will:
Review Fracture Control Plans, Fracture Control Summaries, and associated documentation for spaceflight hardware.
Perform fracture mechanics assessments, including crack growth analysis, fracture toughness interpretation, and criticality classification.
Review engineering drawings, material specs, and manufacturing plans for fracture control compliance.
Provide technical direction for fracture testing (fracture toughness, crack propagation, stress corrosion, fatigue testing) for metallic, composite, and non-metallic materials.
Collaborate with design engineers, stress analysts, materials engineers, quality assurance, NDE personnel, and program safety/mission assurance to ensure fracture-control compliance across the hardware lifecycle.
Support technical reviews (PDR, CDR, FRB, ERB, hazard reviews) by presenting rationale, analysis results, and classification decisions.
Evaluate flight hardware for compliance with NASA fracture control requirements, applicable standards and program-specific criteria.
Support anomaly resolution, provide technical recommendations, and contribute to risk assessments for fracture-related issues.
Other tasks as required.
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.
Bachelor's degree or higher (e.g., M.S. or Ph.D.) in Engineering in the following areas: Mechanical, Materials Science, Aerospace.
5 or more years of professional experience in fracture control, stress/fracture analysis, materials & processes engineering, structural analysis, or related hardware verification.
Strong experience with fracture mechanics principles, fatigue and damage tolerance assessment.
Familiarity with composite materials, nonmetals, and their fracture behavior (including delamination, matrix cracking, interlaminar fracture).
Hands-on experience with fracture testing (toughness, fatigue, crack propagation) and related ASTM or NASA test methods.
Working knowledge of NDE techniques relevant to fracture-critical hardware.
Ability to interpret NASA fracture control requirements, program standards, and certification processes.
Strong technical communication skills and ability to present rationale to multidisciplinary and program leadership teams.
Preferred Qualifications:
PhD or advanced degree highly preferred.
Previous experience supporting NASA human spaceflight hardware or fracture control processes.
Experience with analysis tools such as NASGRO, ABAQUS, Nastran/Patran, or comparable fracture/stress analysis software.
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)
US Citizenship and the ability to pass a comprehensive security background investigation is required.
