Senior Structural Analysis Engineer

About Volant Partners

Volant Partners provides business and engineering consulting services to companies across the United States. We thrive by solving complex problems with a focus on regulated industries. We best serve our customers by attracting and retaining the very best consultants. Consequently, we have structured ourselves as an employee-owned company. Volant Partners was founded in 2021 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.

Job Description

Volant Partners, Inc is seeking a Senior Structural Analysis Engineer to assist our clients with the design, development and verification of aerospace and space flight hardware. Responsibilities will vary by client project, but the selected candidate will contribute to areas such as configuration trade studies, external and internal loads, structural sizing and mass estimates, finite element modeling and analysis, classical hand calculations, fatigue and damage tolerance assessments, and authoring stress reports for both primary and secondary structure. In addition, responsibilities will include working closely with design, test and manufacturing teams throughout the product development lifecycle to support critical design, build-start and verification milestones.

As subject matter experts, selected candidates will use their depth of structural analysis knowledge to perform these tasks and introduce best practices into our clients. Successful candidates will be self-starters that are comfortable in new situations where success is dependent on quickly understanding client challenges and addressing them.

This individual must have excellent communication skills (written, verbal, and presentation) and be able to communicate effectively with different engineering disciplines, project and client leadership.

This position may include on-site work so we are only seeking candidates in the greater Seattle area at this time.

Typical Responsibilities

• Performing trade studies on structural configurations, assessing materials, fit, form, function and joints
• Defining external loads, generating internal loads and documenting free-body load paths
• Sizing primary and secondary structure for strength and stiffness, including mass estimates and mass growth allowance (MGA) analyses
• Developing, verifying and maintaining finite element models (e.g. Nastran), including validation of material properties, boundary conditions and loads
• Performing classical hand calculations to complement and verify finite element results
• Performing fatigue and damage tolerance assessments
• Authoring stress analysis reports and calculating margins of safety in accordance with client standards for hand-off to design teams
• Supporting definition of test scope, manufacturing methods and development activities
• Presenting analysis findings at cross-functional and design reviews, and providing regular status updates
• Championing structural analysis best practices on their project
• Mentoring more junior engineers

Required Qualifications

• 8-12 years of practical experience performing structural/stress analysis
• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Civil, or a related engineering discipline
• Strong foundation in strength of materials, structural mechanics and classical hand calculation methods
• Hands-on FEA experience with MSC/NX Nastran and pre/post-processors such as Patran, Femap or HyperMesh
• Experience analyzing metallic and/or composite structures, including use of standard references such as MMPDS and CMH-17
• Experience with structural sizing, load path development and margin of safety calculations
• Working experience creating technical documentation (stress reports, analysis memos, margin summaries)
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Excel-based analysis tools and PowerPoint presentations
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, including GD&T
• Experience in working with requirements
• Strong analytical and interpersonal skills with the ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• As a consultant, ability to effectively cooperate with the client and/or end users
• Fluent English in speech and writing (frequent communication with English-speaking clients)
• Must be a US Person - U.S. citizen, U.S. permanent resident, or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience analyzing spacecraft, launch vehicle or aircraft structures
• Experience working in regulated industries such as defense, aerospace, and automotive
• Experience working in a consulting or engineering services company
• Experience with fatigue and fracture mechanics tools (e.g. NASGRO, AFGROW)
• Familiarity with spaceflight structural standards (e.g. NASA-STD-5001, NASA-STD-5019) or FAA 14 CFR Part 23/25 compliance
• Experience supporting design reviews (PDR/CDR) and verification milestones
• Experience with ANSYS or Abaqus
• Experience with scripting or automation of analysis workflows (e.g. Python, MATLAB)
• Familiarity with CAD tools such as CATIA, NX, SolidWorks or Creo
• Experience with structural test planning and test-analysis correlation (e.g. strain gauge data)

The salary range for this position is currently $117,000 to $177,000 based on current market data. Actual compensation will depend on the successful candidates' work location, qualifications, skills, and depth of experience. As an employee-owned company, the total compensation for this position will include Stock Options and eligibility for the Utilization, VP Accelerator and Profit-Sharing bonus programs. Our comprehensive benefits include 401k matching; medical, dental, vision and prescription drug benefits; flexible spending accounts; life and disability insurance; and a generous company contribution to an HSA account. Employees will also receive 15 days paid vacation and 10 days paid sick leave each year, as well as 12+ paid holidays scheduled throughout the calendar year.

Volant Partners 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, or status as a protected veteran.