Description

• Provide technical insight and independent assessment of spacecraft, payload, and launch-system loads and structural-dynamics analyses, including contractor and provider methods, assumptions, models, inputs, results, margins, and engineering conclusions.
• Perform and independently assess coupled loads analyses for spacecraft, payloads, integrated vehicles, and associated hardware.
• Develop, review, and evaluate finite element models used for structural-dynamics and loads analyses.
• Perform and assess modal, transient, frequency-response, random-vibration, sine-vibration, shock, and other dynamic analyses applicable to spacecraft and launch environments.
• Identify critical structural modes, dynamic responses, load paths, sensitivities, and interfaces that may affect vehicle or component design and verification.
• Evaluate mass, stiffness, damping, boundary conditions, model fidelity, and interface assumptions and determine their effects on analytical results and engineering conclusions.
• Manipulate and evaluate mass and stiffness matrices obtained from reduced finite element models.
• Develop and assess reduced-order dynamic models using techniques such as Component Mode Synthesis and Craig-Bampton reduction.
• Review analytical and test data and support model correlation and validation activities involving modal surveys, vibration, shock, acoustic, and other structural-dynamics testing.
• Develop, review, and provide technical input to test plans, procedures, acceptance criteria, and test reports.
• Identify the analyses and cases that provide the greatest technical insight, including bounding conditions, sensitivities, interface conditions, off-nominal cases, and potential failure modes.
• Participate in technical meetings, design reviews, and engineering exchanges with NASA, spacecraft providers, launch providers, contractors, and other engineering organizations.
• Communicate technical findings, risks, assumptions, sensitivities, and recommendations clearly to discipline experts, customers, and multidisciplinary program stakeholders.
• Work closely with structures, mechanical systems, mechanisms, guidance, navigation and control, propulsion, thermal, mission design, systems engineering, and other technical disciplines to evaluate integrated vehicle performance.
• Perform analyses using commercial and internally developed engineering tools and develop or automate analytical processes using Python, MATLAB, C, C++, or similar tools when beneficial.
• Support configuration control, documentation, peer review, and traceability of analytical models, inputs, methods, and results.
• Travel as required to support technical reviews, testing, and other program activities.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Must be a U.S. citizen and successfully complete a U.S. government background investigation.
• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or another applicable engineering discipline from an accredited engineering school.
• At least 10 years of relevant professional experience in loads, structural dynamics, finite element analysis, or spacecraft or launch-vehicle structural analysis. Candidates considered at the Subject Matter Expert level will typically have at least 15 years of relevant experience and demonstrated technical depth in aerospace loads and structural dynamics.
• Demonstrated experience performing or reviewing dynamic finite element analysis and modal analysis.
• Experience assessing complex engineering models and independently evaluating the assumptions, inputs, methodology, fidelity, and conclusions associated with analytical results.
• Ability to interpret structural-dynamics results and translate them into meaningful engineering conclusions, technical risks, and recommendations.
• Experience using structural-dynamics and finite element analysis software such as NASTRAN, FEMAP, or comparable tools.
• Experience using Python, MATLAB, C, C++, or similar engineering analysis and scripting tools.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the technical judgment necessary to independently evaluate complex engineering issues.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex technical matters to multidisciplinary teams, customers, and program leadership.
• Ability to work effectively in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment while maintaining the independent technical judgment required of an engineering insight organization.
• Ability to work full-time onsite at Kennedy Space Center and travel as required.

• Master's degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• Experience with spacecraft, launch vehicles, payloads, or other spaceflight hardware.
• Demonstrated experience performing coupled loads analyses for spacecraft, launch vehicles, payloads, or other complex aerospace systems.
• Experience supporting spacecraft or launch-vehicle development through multiple lifecycle phases, including design reviews, verification, qualification, and flight readiness.
• Experience using MSC Nastran, Simcenter Nastran, FEMAP, or equivalent finite element analysis tools.
• Experience with Component Mode Synthesis, Craig-Bampton reduction, superelements, and reduced-order structural models.
• Experience performing or assessing modal surveys, vibration testing, acoustic testing, shock testing, structural-dynamics testing, and model-correlation activities.
• Experience with multibody or nonlinear dynamic-analysis tools such as LS-DYNA, Adams, or equivalent software.
• Experience developing, customizing, or automating engineering-analysis processes through scripting or software development.
• Experience working directly with spacecraft providers, launch providers, government customers, or engineering-review organizations in a technical-insight, independent-assessment, or design-review capacity.
• Familiarity with NASA structural-dynamics, loads, verification, and spaceflight-engineering practices and standards.

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