Senior Loads and Dynamics Engineer

Job Summary

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), an affiliate of General Atomics, is a world leader in remotely piloted aircraft and tactical reconnaissance radars. We have an exciting opportunity in San Diego, CA (Poway, CA) for a Senior Loads and Dynamics Engineer in our Airframe Integrity Group.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Support the design of new products, expand capability to existing products, and integrate new payloads onto existing platforms.
• Perform loads and dynamics analysis of aircraft components, assemblies, and systems.
• Develop design and repeated loads for air vehicle flight, landing, and ground operations.
• Flight Loads analysis includes the development of open and closed loop aeroelastic flight loads models, the calculation of aerodynamic and inertial loads across the aircraft.
• Landing and Ground loads includes hand calculation methods, structural dynamics and explicit simulations of landings.
• Dynamics analysis includes normal modes, frequency response, random vibration, and the development of vibration and shock environmental criteria.
• Develop aeroelastic models for use in flutter and aeroservoelastic analysis.
• Utilize ground vibration test data to correlate structural dynamics models.
• Generate documentation to support design and airworthiness certification using MIL, STANAG, or FAR standards.

Qualifications

• Typically requires a bachelors degree, masters degree or PhD in engineering or a related technical discipline from an accredited institution and progressive engineering experience as follows; twelve or more years of experience with a bachelors degree, ten or more years of experience with a masters degree, or seven or more years with a PhD.
• May substitute equivalent engineering experience in lieu of education.
• Must have a general understanding of engineering concepts, principles, and theory with technical experience demonstrating the application of those concepts while ensuring safety and regulatory compliance.
• Must possess the ability to understand new concepts quickly and apply them accurately throughout an evolving environment and organize work assignments to meet established timetables.
• Good communication, computer, documentation, presentation, and interpersonal skills are required, as well as the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Must have the ability to perform FEA on composite airframes/structures.
• Working knowledge of panel codes, NASTRAN, or ABAQUS software is preferred.
• Experience with aeroelastic loads development, closed-loop flight control systems, flutter, in-flight testing, and explicit time domain analysis for loads development is desirable.
• Experience in the aerospace or related industry and with loads analysis and loads development experience is required.
• Experience with Matlab, Excel, Visual Basic, panel codes, NASTRAN, ABAQUS, ZAERO, or other loads Loads and Dynamics software.
• Must be familiar with loads development, statics, dynamics, aerodynamics, stability and control, and vibrations.
• Must be familiar with gusts, landing simulations, and flutter.
• A working knowledge of JSSG, Mil-Spec, and FAA airworthiness requirements is advantageous.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DoD security clearance is required.