Senior Mechanical Engineer - Structures

Senior Mechanical Engineer – Structures

Los Angeles

$180k–$225k Base + Benefits

Certus Recruitment is partnering with an advanced aerospace business developing next-generation re‑entry systems and seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer (Structures) to play a critical role in the development of its Carryall re‑entry vehicle.

This is a genuinely high-impact opportunity for an experienced structural engineer who has owned complete flight vehicle structures from concept through build, testing, and flight. The successful candidate will act as the structural architect for the full vehicle, taking responsibility for structural integrity across launch, orbital operations, atmospheric re‑entry, and landing.

This is not a narrow subsystem role. The business is looking for someone capable of operating at full‑vehicle level, balancing structural performance, manufacturability, integration, testing, and operational realities across an extreme mission profile.

The role will sit at the center of vehicle development, partnering closely with thermal, manufacturing, recovery, and systems teams to help deliver a flight‑ready platform.

Key responsibilities include:

• Owning the structural architecture of the complete re‑entry vehicle
• Leading structural design activities from early trade studies through detailed design, integration, testing, and flight readiness
• Defining primary load‑bearing structures, TPS interfaces, payload bay structures, and secondary structural systems
• Performing and approving high‑fidelity structural analysis using FEA tools including NASTRAN and ANSYS
• Designing for extreme environments including launch loads, orbital vacuum, hypersonic re‑entry, vibration, shock, and landing conditions
• Driving structural integration across thermal protection systems, atmospheric recovery, and manufacturing functions
• Creating and approving manufacturing drawings with advanced GD&T standards (ASME Y14.5)
• Leading structural test campaigns including static load, vibration, deployment, and qualification testing
• Working closely with fabrication, composites, machining, and manufacturing partners to ensure quality and delivery standards are achieved

The ideal candidate will bring:

• 10+ years of structural engineering experience within spacecraft, launch vehicles, hypersonics, or re‑entry systems
• Proven experience taking full flight vehicle structures through concept, build, test, and flight
• Deep expertise across structural analysis, FEA, and flight hardware development
• Strong experience with CAD and engineering tools including SolidWorks, NX, CATIA, NASTRAN, and ANSYS
• Expertise in GD&T and manufacturing‑ready engineering documentation
• Experience working with advanced aerospace materials including titanium, aluminum, and carbon fiber composites
• A highly hands‑on and technically rigorous engineering mindset

What makes this opportunity particularly compelling is the level of ownership attached to the role. This individual will help define the structural backbone of a highly ambitious aerospace platform within a fast‑moving engineering environment tackling genuinely difficult technical problems.

Compensation & Benefits:

• $180k–$225k base salary
• Los Angeles
• Opportunity to work on cutting‑edge re‑entry and spaceflight technology
• High‑impact technical ownership and visibility
• Collaborative, mission‑driven engineering culture
• Strong long‑term growth potential within an ambitious aerospace program

This is an outstanding opportunity for a senior aerospace structures engineer seeking end‑to‑end ownership, deep technical challenges, and the chance to help shape the future of advanced flight systems.