Vehicle Structures Analyst

Vehicle Structures Analyst

Specter Aerospace is seeking a Vehicle Structures Analyst to support the design and analysis of high-speed airbreathing vehicles. A successful candidate will have prior experience conducting complex static and dynamic structural analyses of aerospace or hypersonic vehicles.

About Specter Aerospace:

Specter Aerospace is building the next generation of hypersonic vehicles for defense and commercial applications. Specter is headquartered in Peabody, MA, just north of Boston, where it leverages its advanced propulsion technologies, manufacturing, and testing capabilities to rapidly develop supersonic and hypersonic systems. Funded by a mix of government R&D organizations, commercial customers, and private funding, Specter is a growing aerospace and defense startup. Close relationships with MIT, Notre Dame, AFRL, NRL, ANL, and other research organizations provide access to cutting-edge developments, facilities, and personnel. Specter is expanding its team in preparation for flight testing and full-scale production.

Role & Responsibilities:

• Conduct classical hand analysis on of primary structural elements


• Create and validate vehicle finite element models to perform linear and nonlinear structural analyses (Nastran)


• Write margins for stress, fatigue, and fracture mechanics (damage tolerance) analysis


• Create structural reports to document and present results to internal and external stakeholders


• Develop tools in Python and MATLAB to perform structural analysis


• Support planning, instrumentation selection, and analysis for testing


• Perform material selection and write test plans for material property testing using up to date consensus standards


• Support thermal-structural coupled analysis


• Other duties as assigned by the company

Job Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or other related discipline


• Experience conducting hand calculations based on first principles (free body diagrams, beam theory, classical buckling, detailed fastener, etc.)


• Experience with finite element analysis (preferred Femap with NX Nastran, Abaqus, Ansys, etc.)


• Experience with structural analysis using different material systems (steel, titanium, Inconel, composites, ceramics, etc.)


• Proficiency in MATLAB and Python to support tool development


• Ability to obtain a DoD security clearance (U.S. Citizenship required)

Desired Skills:

• 2+ years of relevant full-time experience


• Master’s degree in engineering or other related discipline


• Experience with missiles, launch vehicles, or high-speed aerospace systems


• Experience with additive metallic structure (DMLS, DED, etc.)


• Experience with one of the following subjects: solid mechanics, fatigue analysis, fracture mechanics, structural dynamics, and/or aeroelasticity


• Experience with coupled thermal-mechanical analysis


• Knowledge of composite structures


• Experience with material testing and developing design allowables


• Active DoD security clearance