As a Staff Analysis Engineer, you will provide technical leadership in structural and/or thermal-fluids analysis for aerospace vehicles and propulsion systems. You will work across multiple engines, stages, and supporting systems, bringing best practices from prior roles, supporting and/or leading verification and validation, and providing proactive design feedback. You will help assess nonconforming hardware, improve analysis methods, and mentor other engineers over time.
Responsibilities (may apply in combination and/or based on focus)- Evaluate designs through static, dynamic, fatigue, and/or fracture analyses to meet performance, reliability, and life objectives.
- Develop and maintain system-level and/or detailed FEM/FEA models for vehicles and propulsion systems; propagate loads and support loads development.
- Perform thermal-structural and/or coupled thermal-stress analyses, including nonlinear materials and large strains, and support vibration/shock analysis as needed.
- Verify and validate analytical and/or fluid system models, anchoring them to test data; work with test teams to define necessary instrumentation.
- Use hand calculations and/or CFD to assess fluid behavior (e.g., pressure drops, mass-flow distribution, component performance) in engine and vehicle systems.
- Build steady-state and/or transient 1D fluid models to predict system operating states, startup/shutdown behavior, and other key transients.
- Collaborate with design, systems, and manufacturing to ensure requirements and standards are met, and to disposition nonconforming hardware and repairs.
- Support anomaly and/or failure investigations through structural and/or fluid modeling and participation in root-cause analysis.
- Improve analysis methods, workflows, and tools; contribute to team capability growth and provide technical guidance.
Minimum Requirements- S. in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering or a related field.
- ~10+ years of structural and/or thermal-fluids analysis experience on vehicles and/or propulsion systems.
- Strong background in structural mechanics and/or in fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and heat transfer.
- Experience performing FEA/FEM using commercial codes (e.g., ANSYS, Abaqus, NASTRAN-based solvers).
- Experience anchoring analytical and/or fluid models to physical test data.
- Fatigue and fracture experience (e.g., HCF SN, LCF e-N, and/or LEFM crack growth/safe-life; NASGRO or similar tools beneficial).
- Experience in CFD and/or 1D fluid system modeling using commercial and/or lumped-parameter tools (e.g., ANSYS Fluent/CFX, ROCETS, GFSSP, SINDA/FLUINT or similar).
- Programming skills for analysis automation and data processing (Python preferred; MATLAB or similar acceptable).
- Effective written and verbal communication; comfortable working in a fast-paced, startup environment on safety-critical systems.
Preferred Requirements- S. or PhD in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering with emphasis in solid mechanics, fatigue/fracture, structural dynamics, fluids, and/or thermal sciences.
- ~12+ years combined structural and/or fluids analysis experience, ideally in rocketry or turbomachinery.
- Experience with advanced dynamics and loads (modal, random vibration, shock response).
- Specialized CFD (e.g., pumps, turbines, cavitation/two-phase, combustion, or unsteady flows) and/or transient 1D modeling (e.g., water hammer, engine start).
- Experience with cryogenic, high-pressure pneumatic, two-phase or supercritical, and/or compressible flow systems.
- Familiarity with turbomachinery analytical methods (e.g., Campbell diagrams, rotordynamics) and/or composite materials, insulation, and ablative TPS.
- Experience supporting failure investigations and root-cause analysis on development, test, or flight hardware.
Colorado law requires us to tell you the base compensation range of this role, which is $140,000 - $175,000, determined by your education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities. What we can't quantify for you are the exciting challenges, supportive team, and amazing culture we enjoy.
Classification: Full-time Exempt
Benefits Include: (Please note, Interns are not eligible for benefits)- Unlimited PTO - Vacation, Sick, Personal, and Bereavement
- Paid Parental and Adoptive Leave
- Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance
- Tax Advantage Accounts (HSA/FSA)
- Employer Paid Short and Long Term Disability, Basic Life, AD&D
- Additional Benefit Options Including Voluntary Life and Emergency Medical Transport
- EAP Program
- Retirement Savings Plan - 401k with Company Match
- Equity Grants in the Company
How To Apply: Interested candidates are encouraged to apply by filling out the application below and clicking "Submit Application". This position will be posted for a minimum of 3 days and will remain open until filled or adjusted based on the volume of applicants.
NOTE: Research suggests that women and BIPOC individuals may self-select out of opportunities if they don't meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage anyone who believes they have the skills and the drive necessary to succeed here to apply for this role.
Must be a U.S. Person (this includes U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents).Eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. Security Clearance. No outside recruiters, please.
