Aircraft Fatigue & Damage Tolerance Engineer

About the Role

Aircraft Fatigue and Damage Tolerance Engineer responsible for performing structural fatigue and damage tolerance analysis of aircraft modifications, including design support, and preparation of technical documentation necessary to ensure airworthiness. This role involves determination of critical load paths in primary aircraft structure resulting from applied and induced operational loads, as well as determining local stress concentrations, internal fastener load distributions, operational usage environments, and design allowables. Development of tailored mission profiles and usage spectra for modified aircraft for use in calculation of service life.

Position requires the candidate to be a W2 employee of Donatech. US Citizenship is required.

Responsibilities

• Perform structural fatigue and damage tolerance analysis of aircraft modifications.
• Determine critical load paths, local stress concentrations, and internal fastener load distributions.
• Develop tailored mission profiles and usage spectra for modified aircraft.
• Prepare technical documentation to ensure airworthiness.
• Generate free body diagrams, determine reaction forces, and calculate internal load distributions.
• Travel as necessary.
• Obtain and maintain a security clearance.
• Work any shift, weekends, and overtime as required.
• Mentor younger engineers.

Requirements

• BSME, BSAE, or BSCE with a minimum of 10 years of relevant work experience.
• MSME, MSAE, or MSCE with a minimum of 9 years of relevant work experience.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and general computer knowledge.
• Good verbal and written communication skills.
• Effective leadership qualities.

Preferred Skills

• Experience with predicting crack initiation lives and running standard crack growth programs (e.g., AFGROW, NASGRO).
• Working knowledge of one programming language.
• Exposure to CAD or analysis (FEA) tools, and/or experience in mechanical design or analysis of structures and mechanisms.
• Working knowledge of both military (Mil Standard) and civilian (14 CFRs) certification regulations and generating substantiation data to demonstrate compliance.
• Familiarity with transducer instrumentation, data collection, automation, and software programming for numerical analysis.
• Experience developing the Airworthiness Limitations section of the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness for a structural modification.
• Experience with standard Nondestructive Inspection (NDI) methods and corresponding crack growth detectable flaw sizes.