Staff Propulsion Analysis Engineer

As a Staff Propulsion Analysis Engineer, you will primarily focus on structural analyses across all our engines. You will be exposed to all systems on our engines and the unique challenges each component presents. We are looking for experienced analysts who bring new skills and best practices from their prior experience to Ursa and who, in time, will mentor employees as the team grows. You will be expected to assess risks posed by the hardware and to provide proactive feedback to our design team regarding how to improve their components based on the results of your work. Lastly, as Ursa ramps up its production rate and begins development on new engine platforms, you will be expected to assess nonconforming hardware and introduce approaches that could improve our team’s efficiency.  

Primary Responsibilities:

• Evaluate designs through static, thermal, dynamic, fatigue, and fracture analyses and provide recommendations when needed to achieve our objectives.
• Identify potential design improvements and collaborate with other engineering teams to develop our engines while ensuring they meet our system-level requirements.
• Work closely with our test team to request instrumentation necessary to anchor our analytical models.
• Improve upon Ursa’s analytical methods and seek out new approaches and tools.
• Provide professional development, mentorship, and technical guidance to peers.

Minimum Experience/Requirements:

• Thermal-Structural static analysis (particularly dealing with nonlinear materials and large strains) experience is required.
• B.S. degree in Mechanical, Aerospace Engineering, or a comparable field.
• 8+ years of structural analysis experience.
• Experience performing Finite Element Analysis (FEA / FEM) using commercial codes (e.g., ANSYS, Abaqus, or NASTRAN-based solvers).
• High Cycle Fatigue Analysis (HCF, crack initiation predicted by a stress-life / SN approach).
• Low Cycle Fatigue Analysis (LCF, crack initiation predicted by a strain-life / e-N approach).
• Programming experience (Python ideal, but MATLAB or other high-level languages acceptable).
• Basic experience with 3D CAD software (Creo and NX are ideal).
• Experience with complex fluid-mechanical systems - our engines are the product of integrated combustors, turbomachinery, and control systems, all of which must be well understood and optimized.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, startup environment.

Ideal Experience/Requirements:

• M.S. degree or higher in Mechanical, Aerospace Engineering, or a comparable field, ideally focusing on solid mechanics, fatigue, fracture, or structural dynamics.
• Professional experience in rocketry or turbomachinery.
• Multidisciplinary fluids analysis experience.  e.g. Hand-Calcs, CFD: (ANSYS CFX or Fluent), 1-D fluid-network modeling: (SINDA/FLUINT, GFSSP, ROCETS), CEA, TDK
• A strong theoretical background in heat transfer, fluid mechanics, and/or compressible flow.
• Experience anchoring analytical models to physical testing.
• Knowledge of turbomachinery-related analytical methods (e.g., generating Campbell diagrams to assess margins on rotordynamics or structural modes or rotating hardware).
• Knowledge of composite materials, insulation, and ablative thermal protection systems.
• Working experience in loads development.
• Dynamic analysis methods (modal, random vibration, shock response).
• Fracture analysis (crack growth / safe-life and assessing for instability via LEFM, ideally with prior experience using NASGRO).
• Experience with the ANSYS FEA suite.
• A track record of working efficiently in fast-paced engineering environments.
• A track record of effective oral and written communications to support your recommendations.
• Experience supporting failure investigations and root-cause analysis.
• Experience with NCode.

Colorado law requires us to tell you the base compensation range of this role, which is $150,000 - $180,000, determined by your education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities. What we can’t quantify for you are the exciting challenges, supportive team, and amazing culture we enjoy. Click here for more information about our awesome benefits.

Classification: Full-time Exempt