Senior Thermostructures Engineering, Casual

The Vehicle Systems Division (VSD) sits at the center of the ideas and data behind current and future space systems supplying innovative research and development; technical evaluations during the acquisition process; conceptual and detailed design; assembly, integration, test; and operational support. Comprised primarily of highly trained mechanical and aerospace engineers, VSD provides national expertise in the areas of vehicle engineering; guidance, navigation, and controls; robotics; electro-mechanical devices; embedded systems; fluid mechanics; propulsion; thermal control; orbital mechanics; mechanisms; structures; structural dynamics; and dynamic environments.   

The Structures Department within the Structural Mechanics Subdivision of VSD is seeking a well-qualified individual to serve as a Senior Thermostructures Engineer (MTS 3 - Casual). Ideal candidates will have a strong foundation in solid mechanics, practical experience in structural analysis using both hand calculations and finite element analysis techniques, a passion for the space industry, and a desire to apply their expertise and creativity to help solve a variety of technical challenges.  

The Structures Department has insight into the structural integrity of launch vehicles, spacecraft, hypersonic technologies, liquid rocket engines, solid rocket motors, pressurized structural systems, electronic components, and thermal protection systems being developed across the aerospace industry and develops technical assessments to help inform government customer decisions.   

This is a casual, remote position. Casual positions are less than 1,000 hours per year, usually non-continuous, irregular and infrequent.

 What You’ll Be Doing  

• Serve as senior mentor for the development of early career staff, providing technical guidance and insight 

• Conduct peer reviews of technical products and findings

• Maintain authoritative expertise in the development, analysis, and verification of space structures, thorough knowledge of structural design criteria in combination with structural test methods 

• Publish clarifications, insights, and guidance on technical topics to assist industry in enhancing mission assurance practices or advancing the state-of-practice in structural verification and validation 

• Provide technical leadership as part of mission assurance processes for U.S. Space Force, U.S. Air Force, and NRO missions to assure structural integrity. Typical tasks include independent analyses and assessments, hardware reviews, review and evaluation of stress analysis reports, evaluation of flight data, and investigation of flight and test anomalies

• Lead and coordinate technical studies across organizational personnel 

• Assess program risk and advise program office and customers during certification, development, and/or operational phases of programs   

• Act as the organization’s lead representative at technical meetings, presentations, and symposia 

• Identify, evaluate, and resolve issues, anomalies, or challenges related to aerospace thermostructural technologies 

What You Need to be Successful 

Minimum Requirements: 

• Bachelor’s degree and 12 years or more years showing progressively increased responsibility  

• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain excellent working relationships with customers and contractor personnel 

• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-organization teams through all phases of product execution 

• Expert knowledge in the failure mechanics of metallic and composite hardware associated with typical manufacturing and processing issues 

• Expert knowledge in using Mentat/Marc, Nastran, Abaqus, Ansys, or other commercial finite element tools  

• Willing to occasionally travel domestically to work locations or customer sites 

• Ability to obtain and maintain a US security clearance, which is issued by the US government. US citizenship is required.

How You Can Stand Out 

It would be impressive if you have one or more of these: 

• Advanced degree in engineering with a focus in structural and/or solid mechanics or a closely related field 

• Experience collaborating across the contractor product lines and industry working groups 

• Ablative composite technology (failure criteria, material characterization, and erosion and progressive damage analysis)