Senior Structure Analysis Engineer

 Senior Structure Analysis Engineer

Location: Playa Vista, California (in-person, five days per week) 

Outpost is building the return lane from space. We’re developing reusable vehicles that bring payloads home from orbit safely and precisely, enabling faster in-space manufacturing, global delivery, and entirely new capabilities in the space economy. 

We’re a mission-driven team that cares deeply about the work and the people doing it. We are in an exciting stage of growth, which means ownership from day one. Our engineers design hardware, test it, iterate on it, and watch it move toward flight. We are based in the aerospace hub of Playa Vista, where you can spend your days solving complex problems and your evenings on the beach or in the mountains. The work is meaningful, the team is collaborative, and the mission matters. If you want to see the systems you design make it to orbit—and back—come build with us. 

The Role 

We’re looking for a Senior Structure Analysis Engineer to own structural and thermal analysis across flight hardware, from early design through flight readiness and production. This role sits at the center of engineering decision-making. You will be responsible for ensuring hardware is analytically sound, flight-worthy, and properly dispositioned - working closely with mechanical design, avionics, test, manufacturing, and systems teams. 

Responsibilities

• Own structural analysis of primary and secondary spacecraft structures, including but not limited to:
  • Modal analysis
  • Random vibration
  • Static and quasi-static loading
  • Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) and thermo-elastic loading
• Perform analysis on a wide range of hardware, including:
  • Flight structures and mechanisms
  • Avionics enclosures
  • PCB and electronics assemblies
  • Lead or support thermal analysis to evaluate operating margins, gradients, and coupled structural-thermal effects
• Serve as a technical authority for hardware disposition:
  • Assess flight and test hardware prior to production
  • Support nonconformance (NCR) resolution and root-cause analysis
  • Provide clear, defensible recommendations for accept-as-is, repair, or rework decisions
  • Partner closely with design and test teams to translate requirements into analysis models and to correlate analysis with test result                   
  • Contribute to analysis methodologies, best practices, and documentation that scale with the program. 

Qualifications 

• 8+ years of experience, with at least 5 years analyzing complex aerospace components.
• Bachelors required, Masters preferred in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• Proficiency in ANSYS FEM software (NASTRAN, FEMAP, Abaqus and similar acceptable)
• Senior-level expertise in either structural or thermal analysis, with demonstrated proficiency in the alternate discipline.
• Strong experience applying analysis to real flight hardware - not just academic models.
• Deep understanding of aerospace loading environments, material behavior, and margin assessment.
• Experience supporting hardware through test, flight qualification, and production.
• Ability to work hands-on in a fast-moving, on-site hardware environment and communicate technical results clearly to cross-functional teams.
• Experience analyzing space rated avionics and structures is a plus.
• Is able to work independently with little guidance of more senior team members.
• Shows ability to develop new and relevant skills beyond core technical function.
• Is able to consistently identify and propose solutions to technical problems in their function. 

Compensation & Benefits

• 140,000 – 180,000, Salary may vary with experience
• Incentive Equity
• Annual Performance-Based Bonus
• Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance
• Short- and Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Life Insurance
• PTO
• 401k with Company match
• Subsidized daily catered lunch, snacks and coffee 

You must be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15 ,or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State