Specialist - Structural Engineering

Job Title: Specialist, Structural Engineer

Job Code: 46819

Job Location: Sacramento CA

Job Schedule: 9/80: Employees work 9 out of every 14 days – totaling 80 hours worked – and have every other Friday off

Job Description:

Join our team shaping the next generation of solid rocket propulsion systems. L3Harris, Missile Solutions, is seeking a Specialist Engineer – Structures for our location in Sacramento CA. In this role, you will serve as a critical structural engineering resource embedded in the production environment, working directly alongside Manufacturing and Quality Engineering teams to disposition Nonconformances (NCs) on flight-critical solid rocket motor (SRM) hardware. We are seeking an experienced structural analyst with a strong technical foundation in aerospace structures, a proactive mindset, and the ability to make sound engineering judgments under schedule pressure in a production setting.

As a key contributor, you will apply structural analysis expertise to evaluate nonconforming hardware conditions, support disposition decisions, and ensure that production hardware meets structural performance and safety requirements. You will collaborate closely with cross-disciplinary teams, interface with customers when required, and drive technical rigor throughout the production lifecycle.

Essential Functions:

• NC Disposition & Production Support: Serve on a team of structural engineering resources responsible for dispositioning critical Nonconformances (NCs) on SRM production hardware. Evaluate nonconforming conditions against design requirements and structural margins to support Use-As-Is, Repair, Rework, or Reject dispositions in coordination with Manufacturing and Quality Engineering.
• Structural Analysis in Support of Dispositions: Perform structural analysis—both FEA-based and closed-form—to assess the structural acceptability of nonconforming hardware conditions, including dimensional deviations, material anomalies, process escapes, and manufacturing-induced defects on metallic, solid propellant, and composite SRM components.
• FEA Modeling & Execution: Build and execute finite element models using ANSYS, ABAQUS to evaluate specific nonconformance scenarios. Model components using isotropic, orthotropic, and viscoelastic material definitions with nonlinear and temperature-dependent properties as required to support disposition rationale.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work directly and daily with Manufacturing Engineering and Quality Engineering teams on the production floor and in MRB (Material Review Board) activities. Provide timely structural engineering input to keep production flow moving while maintaining engineering integrity.
• CAD & Geometry Integration: Interpret and work with solid CAD models, as-built hardware geometry, and X-ray images, to accurately characterize nonconforming conditions and develop appropriate analysis models.
• Documentation & Reporting: Produce clear, thorough technical documentation including disposition rationale packages, stress notes, and engineering dispositions that meet internal review standards and, where applicable, customer and regulatory requirements.
• Design & Manufacturing Feedback: Identify recurring nonconformance trends and communicate findings to design and manufacturing teams to support root cause resolution and design or process improvement initiatives.
• Process Improvement: Contribute to the development of internal tools, disposition templates, and analysis automation to improve the efficiency and consistency of the NC disposition process.
• Must be able to obtain a US Secret level clearance.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree and minimum 4 years of prior relevantstructural engineering experience. Graduate Degree and a minimum of 2 years of prior related structural engineering experience. In lieu of a degree, minimum of 8 years of prior related structural engineering experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical, Aerospace or related Engineering discipline, with relevant structural analysis experience and demonstrated exposure to production or manufacturing-support environments.
• Experience supporting NC disposition, MRB activities, or production structural engineering on aerospace or defense hardware.
• Proven experience in linear, nonlinear, and dynamic structural analysis supporting design, qualification, and/or production of solid rocket motors.
• Proficiency with FEA tools such as ANSYS Mechanical; experience with ANSYS MAPDL or Python scripting is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to make sound, defensible engineering disposition decisions under schedule pressure in a production environment.
• Working knowledge of structural instabilities, material nonlinearities, and coupled load environments.
• Exposure to full lifecycle aerospace SRM propulsion product development, from design through manufacturing, test, and production.

In compliance with pay transparency requirements, the salary range for this role in California is $88,500 - $164,500. This is not a guarantee of compensation or salary, as final offer amount may vary based on factors including but not limited to experience and geographic location. L3Harris also offers a variety of benefits, including health and disability insurance, 401(k) match, flexible spending accounts, EAP, education assistance, parental leave, paid time off, and company-paid holidays. The specific programs and options available to an employee may vary depending on date of hire, schedule type, and the applicability of collective bargaining agreements.

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