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 

• Bachelor's degree in Structural Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• 8+ years of experience, with at least 5 years analyzing complex aerospace components.
• Proven experience performing linear and nonlinear finite element analysis (FEA) of spacecraft, launch vehicle, or aerospace structures using tools such as Nastran, Patran, ANSYS, or equivalent.
• Strong experience applying analysis to real flight hardware - not just academic models.
• Experience supporting hardware through test, flight qualification, and production.
• Experience analyzing metallic and composite primary and secondary structures under static, dynamic, thermal, vibration, and fatigue loading conditions.
• Strong understanding of spacecraft and launch vehicle load paths, structural sizing, margins of safety, and failure modes.
• Experience supporting structural verification through analysis, testing, and correlation, including qualification and acceptance test campaigns.
• Experience with launch environments, including random vibration, sine vibration, shock, acoustic loads, and thermal environments.

Preferred Experience   

• Active U.S. Government Security Clearance (not required, but beneficial).
• Experience supporting NASA, DoD, or commercial spaceflight programs. 
• Familiarity with reusable spacecraft, orbital transfer vehicles, or in-space logistics platforms.
• Experience working in a fast-paced startup environment with rapid design iterations.

Compensation & Benefit

• Competitive compensation: $195,000- $220,000; (commensurate with experience). 
• Additional Compensation:  Annual performance-based bonuses that reward your impact.
• Shared upside: Meaningful equity in Outpost so you share directly in the value you help create.
• Comprehensive healthcare: Medical, dental, and vision coverage to keep you and your loved ones covered. We cover the base tier of medical insurance and all premiums of vision and dental. 
  
• Protection when it matters: Company-provided short- and long-term disability coverage for peace of mind, plus life insurance for even more security.
• PTO: Recharge on your own terms with paid time off, plus 9 days of paid holidays.
• Invest in your future: 401(k) with company match to help you build long-term wealth.
• Fueled for the mission: Daily DoorDash lunch stipend, plus unlimited snacks, coffee, and tea to keep you energized.
• Mission that matters: Work shoulder-to-shoulder with leaders from aerospace, new space, and deep-tech industries building the future of orbital infrastructure.
• Pet Friendly Office: Bring your furry friend into the office so that they can be a part of our mission too.
• Monthly Company Happy Hours and Events: Drinks at the local bar, hibachi nights, mini golfing and more! 

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