United Launch Alliance

Rockets for national security and NASA

Propulsion Strength Lead 5 - Vulcan Development

Materials & StructuresUpdated on Nov 14

Full-timeCentennial, CO, USA

About the Job

Requirements

A bachelor's degree in engineering or a related technical field from an accredited college or university.
At least 8 years of related work experience.
At least 3 years serving in a lead role for an analysis team directly supporting large program objectives.
Ability to make design recommendations based on first-order analysis results and engineering judgment or experience.
Ability to resolve technical issues using available analysis tools and methodologies.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office tools and Agile tools, including Jira.
Detailed understanding of materials and material properties.
Advanced experience with structural analysis of tanks, adapters, and brackets.
Advanced experience analyzing propulsion hardware, including tubing, ducting, and flex joints.
Experience developing tools to analyze propulsion systems, including tubing, ducting, bellows, and supplier components.
Understanding of fatigue and fracture analysis methodology and ability to develop tools that facilitate this analysis.
Understanding of bolted-joint analysis and modeling and ability to develop tools that facilitate this analysis.
Understanding of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) standards and principles.
Understanding of analysis best practices and underlying assumptions, and ability to establish standards for the team.
Understanding of basic hand calculations.
Experience resolving hardware nonconformances.
Familiarity with Nastran for static, modal, dynamic, and nonlinear analysis solutions.
Familiarity with Femap pre- and post-processing software.
Familiarity with NX CAD and Simulation.
Familiarity with NASGRO fracture mechanics software.
Familiarity with Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Familiarity with Unix/Linux mainframe-based analysis tools.
Familiarity with MATLAB and Abaqus.
All applicants must be U.S. Persons as defined in ITAR, including U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, or protected individuals.

Responsibilities

Lead analysts through Vulcan Development activities, including Centaur V on SLS in support of Artemis and Upper Stage Advancement long-duration capabilities.
Serve as a subject matter expert and lead the team through complex structural analysis problems requiring cross-discipline coordination and creative thinking.
Support propulsion and mechanical analysis, system integration, project management, and anomaly resolution.
Lead advanced strength, fatigue, and fracture analyses of structural components, including nonlinear analyses.
Perform self-guided work, help the team resolve analysis challenges, and develop new analysis tools, methodologies, and processes for long-term organizational improvements.
Build lower-level engineers’ capabilities through knowledge transfer, mentoring, and formal training.
Facilitate work-scope planning, prioritization, execution, and issue resolution, and communicate status to program leaders.
Create advanced analysis models, perform hand calculations, and provide strength inputs and recommendations for new designs and installations.
Review and approve 3D engineering layouts, 3D models, designs, drawings, and 2D drawing changes for propulsion, fluid-system, and mechanical-system components.
Make engineering design recommendations considering thermal, mechanical, and pressure loading, material properties, configurations, and safety factors.
Drive internal peer reviews, tabletop reviews, and formal design reviews as needed.
Work with key suppliers to ensure their analysis products support contracted efforts and transition seamlessly among analysis products used for verification.
Support fast-paced design and analysis cycles and evaluate hardware nonconformances to support production activities.
Assist the team in creating analysis automation tools.

Desired Qualifications

Experience working with component suppliers to drive requirements for component development and qualification.
Experience running or creating analysis automation and pre- and post-processing scripts using Unix, MATLAB, Python, and Excel.
Experience leading static and dynamic testing and model correlation.
Experience leading structural optimization techniques for mass savings.
Experience integrating with system-level analysis models, such as coupled-loads models.
Experience with NASA crewed-flight analysis and qualification requirements, including NASA-STD-5019 and NASA-STD-5001.
General knowledge of mechanical hardware fabrication methods, such as machining, welding, processing, and assembly.
Familiarity with mechanical support equipment.
Familiarity with composite structural analysis.
Experience leading analysis efforts that support cross-functional teams.
Experience working on development programs within the Agile framework and understanding Agile tools, including Jira.

Requisition ID: 2270

Standard Weekly Hours: 40.00

Location: ULA - Denver

Relocation: Yes- Relocation may be available

Travel Requirements: 10%

At ULA, success comes through the efforts of a strong, united team.

Thanks for your interest in United Launch Alliance, the world's most experienced and reliable space launch company! Successfully launching more than 155 consecutive missions with 100% mission success doesn't happen by accident. It's a testament to the commitment and dedication of our team of rocket scientists and support employees combined with the systems and processes we use to pull them together. As a ULA employee, you'll have the opportunity to grow in your career while working in a team-oriented culture that combines technology, innovation, ingenuity and a commitment to the extraordinary. Whether you are in college just launching your career, or, have experience and want to come work with the best rocket team in the world, our unshakable unity yields stronger solutions and better results as we carry out our mission to save lives, explore the universe, and connect the world. Our team is excited to meet you!

Job Overview & Responsibilities

As a Propulsion Structural Analysis Team Lead who has ownership over technical scope assigned to the team, job responsibilities include the following:

Candidate will lead a team of analysts through Vulcan Development activities, including Centaur V on SLS in support of Artemis and Upper Stage Advancement long-duration capabilities
Candidate will act in an analysis SME (Subject Matter Expert) role to lead the team through complex structural analysis problems where solutions require significant cross-discipline coordination and creative thinking
Candidate will support propulsion and mechanical analysis, system integration, project management, and anomaly resolution
Candidate will lead the team in advanced strength, fatigue, and fracture analyses of structural components, including nonlinear analyses
Candidate will perform self-guided work, with focus on helping the team resolve analysis challenges and developing new analysis tools/methodologies/processes to drive long-term organizational improvements
Candidate will help build the capabilities of lower-level engineers in order to strengthen the enterprise expertise through knowledge transfer, mentoring, and formal training
Candidate will facilitate work scope planning, prioritization, execution, and issue resolution and communicate status to program leaders
Candidate will create advanced analysis models, perform hand calculations, and understand analysis best practices to provide strength inputs and recommendations for new designs and installations
Candidate will review and approve 3D engineering layouts, 3D models, designs/drawings, and 2D drawing changes for a variety of propulsion, fluid system, and mechanical system components
Candidate will make engineering design recommendations with consideration of thermal, mechanical, and pressure loading using appropriate material properties, configurations, safety factors, etc.
Candidate will drive internal peer reviews, tabletop reviews, and formal design reviews as needed
Candidate will interact with key suppliers, working to ensure that their analysis products are conducive to contracted efforts and that there are seamless transitions among analyses products used for verifications
Candidate will support fast-paced design/analysis cycles and evaluate hardware nonconformances to support production activities
Candidate will assist the team in creating analysis automation tools

Required Education

Bachelor

Required Years of Experience

Minimum of 8 years of related work experience

Basic Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in engineering or related technical field from an accredited college or university
3+ years of experience serving in a lead role for an analysis team where large program objectives were supported directly
Ability to make design recommendations based on first-order analysis results and engineering judgement/experience
Ability to resolve technical issues, leveraging all available analysis tools and methodologies
Ability to make design recommendations based on analysis results/experience
Proficiency with Microsoft Office tools and Agile tools, including Jira
Strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work effectively in a team environment
Detailed understanding of materials and material properties
Advanced experience with structural analysis (tanks, adapters, brackets)
Advanced experience analysis of propulsion hardware (tubing, ducting, flex joints)
Experience developing tools for analyzing propulsion systems including tubing, ducting, bellows, and supplier components
Understanding of fatigue/fracture analysis methodology and the ability to develop tools that facilitate this analysis
Understanding of bolted joint analysis and modeling and the ability to develop tools that facilitate this analysis
Understanding of GD&T standards and principles
Understanding of analysis best practices and underlying assumptions, along with the ability to establish these standards for the team
Understanding of basic hand calculations
Experience resolving hardware nonconformances
Familiarity with the following tools/software:
- Nastran (static, modal, dynamic and nonlinear analysis solutions)
- Femap pre-/post-processor
- NX CAD/Simulation
- NASGRO fracture mechanics tool
- Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
- Unix/Linux-mainframe-based analysis tools
- Matlab
- Abaqus
- Jira

Preferred Qualifications

Experience working with component suppliers to drive requirements for component development and qualification
Experience running/creating analysis automation and pre- and post-processing scripts using the following tools:

 Unix, Matlab, Python, Excel

Experience leading static/dynamic testing and model correlation
Experience leading structural optimization techniques for mass savings
Experience integrating with system-level analysis models (e.g. coupled loads models)
Experience with NASA man-rating analysis and qualification requirements, including but not limited to NASA-STD-5019 and NASA-STD-5001
General knowledge of fabrication methods for mechanical hardware, such as machining, welding, processing and assembly
Familiarity with mechanical support equipment
Familiarity with composite structural analysis
Experience leading analysis efforts that support cross-functional teams
Experience working development programs within the Agile framework and understanding of Agile tools, including Jira

Summary Salary Range (for ULA - Denver only): $152,367.00 - $253,946.00

Please note that the salary information shown above is a general guideline only. Salaries are based upon a candidate's experience and qualifications, as well as internal equity, market and business considerations. Employees may be eligible for a discretionary annual bonus in addition to base pay.

What makes ULA different?

Because we understand launch success comes through the collective efforts of a team, we seek the best to join us. We value ethics, ingenuity, engagement and professional development for employees at all levels.

We offer our employees competitive pay and benefits including:

401(k) match plus an additional employer contribution
Discretionary annual incentive bonus for eligible employees
Generous paid time off
Flexible work environments

Additionally, most salaried ULA team members work a "9/80 schedule," meaning they enjoy every other Friday off.

Benefits and work schedules may vary for union-represented hourly positions and are described in the applicable collective bargaining agreement.

The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.

Security Clearance / International Traffic In Arms Regulations (ITAR). This position requires use of information which is subject to the International Traffic In Arms Regulations (ITAR). Therefore, all applicants must be U.S. Persons as defined in ITAR 22 CFR 120.62 (e.g., U.S. Citizen, Lawful Permanent Resident (Green Card holder) or protected individual. See 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(20) and 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) for additional information).

ULA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment.

ULA is a participant in the federal E-Verify Program. Posters in PDF format pertaining to this program can be accessed by clicking on the links identified below. E-Verify Participation poster (English / Spanish) and Right to Work Poster (English / Spanish).

Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act requires covered employees to follow a post selection notification process. A hired candidate may opt out of this process by notifying the hiring manager in writing at the time the offer is accepted

About the Company

United Launch Alliance

Rockets for national security and NASA

ULA builds launch vehicles for national security, NASA and commercial space missions. Its rockets are designed to reach challenging and distant orbits and deliver highly accurate payload insertions, offering wide orbital flexibility for different mission profiles. The company’s approach centers on providing reliable, direct-to-orbit capabilities tailored to meet customers’ needs for secure national missions, space agency programs, and commercial launches. The goal is to expand access to space by offering dependable, precise launches that can place payloads into the specific orbits required by each mission.

Company size: 1,001-5,000
Company stage: Debt Financing
Total funding: $1.6B
Headquarters: Centennial, CO
Founded: 2006

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