Careers - Structural Design and Analysis

At SDA we are constantly growing both the services and products sides of our business. As such, we are always searching for new and energetic talent to join our team. As an Aerospace Engineering company, we are always looking for bright engineering minds that can help our organization succeed and excel. Engineers of all backgrounds are welcome to apply, as every subset of engineering can be applicable and useful for our work.

SDA is conveniently located in the heart of Northern Virginia, only 5 miles from Dulles International Airport and 25 miles from Washington D.C. With a generous and comprehensive compensation and benefits program, our goal is to never lose out on a potential employee. Having grown rapidly and extensively over the past 10 years, we plan and project to continue this success. Subsequently, we will continue to hire on a continual basis to fit our work demand.

Current Availabilities

The following jobs are currently available, but we are always accepting resumes for future openings. If you’re interested, please send an email to jobs@structures.aero.

Entry Level Designer

We are seeking entry level aerospace and mechanical engineers to perform preliminary and detailed design of aerospace primary and secondary structure and mechanical systems. The successful candidate will be charged with performing preliminary lay-outs of structures and mechanical systems for vehicles, performing rapid prototyping and construction of those designs, and completing and releasing the detailed design for production. Candidates must be able to self-guide work, have excellent communication skills, and thrive in fast paced development environments.

Structural Design and Analysis provides engineering services to a wide variety of customers that create aircraft and spacecraft of all types and sizes. We are partnered with several companies to support the design and manufacture of these vehicles, and are rapidly expanding to increase our ability to take on larger and more ambitious projects.

Required Qualifications

B.S. in Mechanical or Aerospace/Aeronautical Engineering from accredited university
Candidates must be a U.S. Person (U.S. Citizen or a Permanent Resident/Green Card Holder)
Ability to perform basic static and kinematic analysis using hand calculation techniques, and experience in dynamic and/or thermal analysis
Hands-on experience working with carbon or fiberglass composites, machine shops, specifying fasteners, bearings, and other hardware
Proficiency with engineering CAD software (Solidworks, CATIA, NX, Fusion, etc).
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Demonstrated ability to use Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with development of structural or mechanical systems for aircraft .
Experience with FAA certification activities, designing to appropriate FAR standards and interfacing with DARs and DERs.
Knowledge of GD&T per ASME Y14.5 and CAD file structure along with tolerance analysis capabilities. Experience in application ASME Y14.41 methods for Model Based Definition is desirable.

Aerospace Stress Analyst

A new position is available on our team of structural analysts. Duties include substantiation of structures and design validation via finite element modeling and hand analysis. Some applications include:

UAV design and analysis
Structural components of fixed wing aircraft and rotorcraft
Primary structure analysis of space vehicles

Analysis results are typically compiled into reports and/or presentations for clients. The employee would be fully trained on use of Femap and Nastran finite element programs.

Required Qualifications:

U.S citizenship
B.S. in Mechanical or Aerospace/Aeronautical Engineering from accredited university

Preferred Qualifications:

Knowledge of composite materials, aircraft structures, and/or practical finite element analysis is highly preferred.
The candidate should have demonstrated aptitude and drive in their undergraduate statics and mechanics of deformable bodies classes, mechanical design (ME majors), and aerospace structures (AOE majors) coursework.
Experience coding in VBA, Python, or MATLAB

Senior Aerospace Structural Designer

Structures.aero (SDA) provides engineering services to a wide variety of customers that create aircraft and spacecraft of all types and sizes from backpackable drones to manned lunar spacecraft. With a specialization in advanced composite structures, and extensive background in metal structures, we can take the lead or provide a support role for the design and manufacture of these vehicles and are rapidly expanding to increase our ability to take on larger and more ambitious projects.

We are seeking senior level aerospace and mechanical engineers to lead small teams through the preliminary and detailed design of primary and secondary aerospace structural and mechanical systems. The successful candidate will be able to work independently or with a team of up to 10 engineers on tasks such as performing preliminary lay-outs of structural and mechanical systems for vehicles, performing rapid prototyping and construction of those designs, and completing and releasing the detailed design for production. Candidates must be able to self-guide work and manage tasking of other teammates, provide mentorship to junior engineers, have excellent communication skills, and thrive in fast paced development environments.

SDA provides a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, paid leave that scales with experience, flexible working schedules, and 401k with contribution matching. The position requires the ability to be onsite at our Sterling, VA office no less than 3 days a week, with ability to work remotely otherwise. Occasional travel out of state to support customer meetings and manufacturing operations will be required, less than 20%.

Minimum Qualifications

Candidates must be a U.S. Person per ITAR restrictions. (U.S. Citizen or a Permanent Resident/Green Card Holder)
B.S. in Aerospace/Aeronautical or Mechanical Engineering from accredited university
8 to 15 years of relevant experience in industry
Experience with development of structural or mechanical systems for aircraft.
Ability to plan tasks and track progress towards and end goal.
Ability to perform basic static and kinematic analysis using hand calculation techniques.
Hands-on experience working with carbon or fiberglass composites, working knowledge of standard machine shop equipment.
Ability to select aerospace fasteners, bearings, and other hardware.
Proficiency with engineering CAD software (Solidworks, CATIA, NX, etc).
Strong written and verbal communication / presentation skills in English.
Proficiency in Office 365 (Outlook, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.)

Preferred Qualifications

Leadership experience managing an engineering team through a development project.
Experience working on a crew or with aircraft / spacecraft manufacturing or maintenance crews.
Experience with FAA or Military certification activities, including designing to appropriate FAR/MIL standards and interfacing with DARs and DERs.
Knowledge of GD&T per ASME Y14.5 along with tolerance analysis capabilities.
Experience in applying ASME Y14.41 methods for Model Based Definition in CAD software

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $110,000.00 – $160,000.00 per year

Benefits:

401(k)
401(k) matching
Dental insurance
Flexible schedule
Health insurance
Health savings account
Paid time off
Vision insurance

Compensation package:

Overtime pay
Profit sharing

Schedule:

Monday to Friday

Application Question(s):

Are you a US citizen or Permanent Resident with a Green Card?

Ability to Relocate:

Sterling, VA 20166: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person

No open positions available currently.