Loads & Dynamics Engineer I

About the Team:

The Integrated Performance team owns the holistic view of how Terran R comes together, ensuring that every system on the vehicle and ground is capable of achieving our ambitious objectives. The team works across the full launch system, from trajectory design and aerodynamics to reliability analysis and beyond, with direct influence on all parts of the product lifecycle, from conceptual design to post-flight data review. Beyond analysis, team members engage hands-on with hardware and operations, with the mission and authority to drive meaningful programmatic change. With a unique organizational structure, the integrated performance team spans multiple technical domains and embeds directly with partner teams to solve the hardest multi-disciplinary problems. The team operates with a rare scale: large enough to support complex development, yet small enough that individual contributors have meaningful impact.

As a part of the Integrated Performance group, the Loads & Dynamics team is directly responsible for digesting forcing functions and building models to produce loads for hardware owners and inform higher-level vehicle performance goals. The Loads & Dynamics team works heavily with partner teams in Aerodynamics, Guidance Navigation and Control (GNC), Propulsion, Structures, and Avionics to balance immediate hardware needs with updated analysis & modeling.

About the Role:

• We develop loads from initial concept to data review for all hardware on Terran R
• We help mature hardware designs through keen understanding of mechanical structures fundamentals and effective, direct communication
• We build, validate, and document our finite-element and statistical energy models to generate component load predictions
• We're also responsible for developing random vibration and shock specifications and ensuring hardware across the vehicle are qualified to those specifications
• We do both quick-look and deep-dive signal processing to inform component loads and random vibration specifications
• We work with our partner teams to inform and deliver inputs for complex events like liftoff, stage separation, entry, and touchdown

About You:

• Undergrad degree in Engineering or related field
• Demonstrated interest in system dynamics, vibration, acoustics, or similar
• Demonstrated Python, MATLAB or similar experience for engineering analysis

Nice to haves but not required:

• Graduate degree in Engineering or related field
• High-speed or modal data acquisition & signal processing experience.
• Experience with NASTRAN, VA One, or Wave6
• Experience with Coupled Loads Analysis (CLA) or Multibody Dynamics (MBD)
• Experience with liquid rocket engines, launch vehicle analysis, or similar in aerospace