Staff Structural Analyst

How You'll Fulfill Your Mission

The Sr Staff Structural Analyst is a senior, technical leader responsible for the comprehensive execution, quality, and technical integrity of all complex engineering analyses across the company's rocket and spacecraft propulsion programs. This role will set the technical standard for analysis methodologies, lead the most challenging technical investigations, and serve as the company's principal expert in relevant analytical domains (e.g., structural, thermal, fluid dynamics, propulsion performance).

• Technical Leadership & Execution: Act as the principal subject matter expert and technical authority for all high-fidelity engineering analyses (FEA, CFD, thermal, kinematic, multi-physics). Personally lead and execute the most critical and complex analyses to drive primary design decisions for launch vehicle and spacecraft propulsion systems.
• Methodology & Standards: Define, standardize, and institutionalize best practices, tools, and methodologies for engineering analysis across all programs. Ensure analyses are grounded in first principles physics and are appropriately validated against test data.
• Technical Oversight & Review: Provide technical oversight and final sign-off on critical analysis reports and technical memorandums. Lead internal design review boards (PDR, CDR) specifically focused on analysis fidelity and margin assessment.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with Design, Manufacturing, Test, and Safety teams to ensure analysis models accurately reflect real-world boundary conditions, material properties, and manufacturing tolerances.
• Mentorship & Development: Act as a technical mentor and guide for analysis engineers. Develop training materials and conduct internal seminars to raise the overall technical competency of the analysis team.
• Risk & Uncertainty Quantification: Establish and drive the use of advanced methods for quantifying uncertainty and margin in analytical models, feeding into system-level reliability assessments.

Qualifications

• Education: Master's degree or Ph.D. in Aeronautical, Mechanical, or Civil Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
• Experience: Minimum of 8 years of progressive, hands-on experience in engineering analysis within the aerospace, defense, or high-performance industry, with a significant focus on launch vehicles, spacecraft, or turbomachinery.
• Domain Expertise: Deep, demonstrated expertise in two or more of the following: Finite Element Analysis (FEA) for structural dynamics and non-linear material behavior; Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for reacting flows, propulsion, or high-speed aerodynamics; Thermal Analysis and heat transfer in extreme environments.
• Software Proficiency: Expert proficiency in industry-standard analysis software packages (e.g., NASTRAN/Patran, Abaqus, ANSYS, STAR-CCM+, OpenFOAM).
• Coding Skills: Proven ability to develop custom analysis scripts and tools using languages such as Python, MATLAB, or C++.
• Regulatory Knowledge: Familiarity with standard aerospace analysis requirements, standards, and safety factors (e.g., NASA, DoD, or FAA/AST guidelines).

Pay

The pay range for this role is: $160,000-220,000

Benefits

San Francisco Applicants: Astra will consider applicants with arrest and conviction records (criminal histories) in a manner consistent with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.

ITAR Requirements

This position requires compliance with U.S. Government space technology trade restrictions, specifically the International Trafficking in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and additional regulations governing satellite, launch vehicle, missile, and other related technologies. All jobs restricted by these regulations will be contingent upon the applicant’s status as a documented U.S. Person or their ability to receive a trade license from the cognizant government agency; in addition to any required company background checks and in compliance with applicable U.S. and California laws. Similarly, positions requiring the ability to work on government contracts or a security clearance are also contingent upon the applicants ability to receive the appropriate clearance and be allowed to work on U.S. government contracts.