Senior Structures Design Engineer

Astro Mechanica is seeking a Senior Structures Design Engineer to take ownership of major structural modules on our aircraft, from initial concept through flight hardware. You'll be responsible for making the technical decisions that determine how major portions of the aircraft are designed, built, and validated, balancing structural efficiency, manufacturability, test, schedule, and cost.

You're comfortable working from first principles in an environment where requirements evolve quickly and there isn't always an established process to follow. You know when detailed analysis is required, when engineering judgment is sufficient. As a senior technical contributor, you'll mentor other engineers, raise the quality of engineering across the team, and help establish how we design aircraft.

- Own the design and development of major aircraft structural modules, such as a wing or a fuselage section, from concept through production and flight test.

- Architect primary and secondary composite and metallic structures, making key decisions on load paths, joints, materials, structural arrangement, and manufacturing approach.

- Work closely with structural analysts to develop efficient, manufacturable designs using first-principles engineering and FEA to guide design decisions.

- Lead trade studies balancing weight, performance, manufacturability, cost, schedule, and technical risk.

- Drive structural configuration decisions across aerodynamics, propulsion, systems, manufacturing, and flight test.

- Produce CAD models, drawings, and engineering documentation.

- Support fabrication, assembly, ground testing, and flight test, rapidly incorporating lessons learned into improved designs.

- Mentor engineers through technical guidance, design reviews, and day-to-day collaboration.

- Help define engineering standards, design practices, and development processes as the organization grows.

- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.

- 8+ years designing aircraft structures, with ownership of significant flight hardware.

- Demonstrated experience taking structural designs from concept through release, manufacturing, and test.

- Strong understanding of metallic and composite structural design, structural load paths, manufacturing methods, and joining techniques.

- Strong first-principles engineering skills, including structural sizing and hand calculations, with a working knowledge of FEA tools such as Femap/Nastran.

- Sound engineering judgment and the ability to make decisions with incomplete information and evolving requirements.

- Excellent communication skills and the ability to drive technical decisions across multiple engineering disciplines.

- A track record of mentoring engineers while remaining a hands-on technical contributor.