Fracture Control Engineer

HX5 is an award-winning provider of engineering, research and development, and technical services to clients such as NASA and the Department of Defense. Founded in 2004, HX5 is a fast-growing veteran- and woman-owned company with locations nationwide. This position is based at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Responsibilities

• Review Fracture Control Plans, Fracture Control Summaries, and associated documentation for spaceflight hardware.
• Perform fracture mechanics assessments, including crack growth analysis, fracture toughness interpretation, and criticality classification.
• Review engineering drawings, material specs, and manufacturing plans for fracture control compliance.
• Provide technical direction for fracture testing (fracture toughness, crack propagation, stress corrosion, fatigue testing) for metallic, composite, and non‑metallic materials.
• Collaborate with design engineers, stress analysts, materials engineers, quality assurance, NDE personnel, and program safety/mission assurance to ensure fracture‑control compliance across the hardware lifecycle.
• Support technical reviews (PDR, CDR, FRB, ERB, hazard reviews) by presenting rationale, analysis results, and classification decisions.
• Evaluate flight hardware for compliance with NASA fracture control requirements, applicable standards and program‑specific criteria.
• Support anomaly resolution, provide technical recommendations, and contribute to risk assessments for fracture‑related issues.
• Other tasks as required.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (minimum); typically 5‑10 years of related experience.
• Bachelor’s degree or higher (M.S. or Ph.D.) in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, or Aerospace Engineering.
• 5+ years of professional experience in fracture control, stress/fracture analysis, materials & processes engineering, structural analysis, or related hardware verification.
• Strong experience with fracture mechanics principles, fatigue and damage tolerance assessment.
• Familiarity with composite materials, nonmetals, and their fracture behavior (delamination, matrix cracking, interlaminar fracture).
• Hands‑on experience with fracture testing (toughness, fatigue, crack propagation) and related ASTM or NASA test methods.
• Working knowledge of NDE techniques relevant to fracture‑critical hardware.
• Ability to interpret NASA fracture control requirements, program standards, and certification processes.
• Strong technical communication skills and ability to present rationale to multidisciplinary and program leadership teams.
• License and certification may be required.
• Proof of U.S. Citizenship or US Permanent Residency is required.
• Must be able to complete a U.S. government background investigation.
• Management has the prerogative to select at any level for which the position is advertised.

Qualifications

• PhD or advanced degree highly preferred.
• Previous experience supporting NASA human spaceflight hardware or fracture control processes.
• Experience with analysis tools such as NASGRO, ABAQUS, Nastran/Patran, or comparable fracture/stress analysis