FEA Engineer

About the Company

CFD Research has delivered innovative technology solutions within the Aerospace & Defense, Biomedical & Life Sciences, Intelligence & Sensing, and Energy & Materials industries since 1987. The company has earned multiple national awards for successful application and commercialization of innovative component/system technology prototypes, multi-physics simulation software, multi-disciplinary analyses, and expert support services. Headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama, CFD Research also operates facilities in Dayton, Ohio; Hollywood, Alabama; and Fort Walton Beach, Florida. The company is ISO9001:AS9100D registered, appraised at CMMI Level II for Services, and is a 100% employee-owned (ESOP) company recognized in Inc. Magazine's Inc5000 as a top growing company for four of the last five years.

About the Role

The candidate will evaluate, analyze, and help design metallic and composite aerospace structures at CFD Research’s Huntsville Headquarters. The role involves close collaboration with structural, fluid, and thermal analysis teams to provide rapid design recommendations and assessments. The candidate will interface regularly with the Prototype, Test, and Evaluation Division engineers at the company’s Hollywood, AL Engineering Test Center, requiring in-person meetings approximately 3 times a month.

Responsibilities

• Develop and validate linear and non-linear FEA models to assess safety margins and deflections.
• Mentor under multiple subject matter experts with decades of experience.
• Produce engineering reports and documentation in support of requirement verification and design reviews.
• Interface with Prototype, Test, and Evaluation Division engineers, including travel to Hollywood, AL for in-person meetings.

Requirements

• US Citizenship and eligibility to obtain and maintain a secret security clearance.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering.
• Experience with Abaqus, ANSYS, or NASTRAN.
• Ability to create clear technical documentation and present results to stakeholders.
• Strong problem-solving, communication, and teamwork skills.
• Familiarity with running on a remote HPC cluster and submitting jobs to a bash scheduler.

Qualifications (Preferred)

• An active secret security clearance.
• Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis on FEA.
• 2+ years of FEA experience, preferably with Abaqus and Abaqus CAE.
• Experience with SolidWorks.
• Familiarity with high-performance computing (HPC) and large-scale models.
• Experience with Python for post-processing of tabular data or the creation of automation macros.

Benefits

• Competitive salaries and excellent employee benefits, including an employer-matching 401(k) and Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).
• Highly competitive insurance package, including medical, vision, and dental insurance.
• Company-paid leave, compensation time, parental leave, long-term and short-term disability, accidental death and dismemberment, and life insurance.
• Partial or reduced benefits for part-time and temporary employee-owners based on employment status.
• Performance appraisals twice a year with annual pay increases based on corporate goals, personal development, performance, and outstanding achievements.
• Group and individual bonuses awarded for exceptional performance.