Associate Director, Structures Department
$168,200–$252,400 year
On-siteEl Segundo, California, United States
Job Summary
Establish department objectives, communicate goals to staff and matrix organizations, and lead technical groups performing engineering design, analysis, and research on structural mechanics. Direct daily technical task planning, issue resolution, and workload monitoring to ensure schedule adherence while reviewing and approving external documentation. Manage budget planning, resource allocation, and staff performance reviews to recommend development actions, mentor early-career personnel, and identify opportunities for expanded business. Coordinate with customers on critical needs and milestone schedules, assess program risks during certification and operational phases, and publish guidance on structural verification and validation to advance industry practices.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in engineering with a focus in structural and/or solid mechanics or a closely related field
- 10 years of applicable professional and educational experience
- Demonstrated 2+ years of people management skills, including hiring, mentoring, staff development, and administering performance reviews
- Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with customers
- Strong technical leadership skills and a proven ability to build and lead interdisciplinary teams
- Expert knowledge in hardware structural analysis including finite element assessment including the use Nastran, Abaqus, or other commercial finite element tools
- Willing to travel domestically and to work off-business hours to support customer needs, approximately 20%
- Ability to obtain and maintain a current and active Top Secret/SCI security clearance issued by the U.S. government
- U.S. citizenship
Desired Qualifications
- Advanced degree in engineering with a focus in structural and/or solid mechanics or a closely related field
- Demonstrated 5+ years of people management skills, including hiring, mentoring, staff development planning, and conducting periodic performance reviews
- Broad range of experience assessing hardware across launch, missile, and space systems
- Technical proficiency and/or knowledge in the advancement of methodologies several of the following areas: Fracture Mechanics and Fatigue Analysis including Damage Tolerance/Safe Life Analysis and Fracture Control
- Additive manufacturing design integration, evaluation, and assessment
- Welded joint mechanical properties and analysis
- Nondestructive inspection criteria development
- Bonded and/or bolted joint failure criteria and analysis methodologies
- Composite structure failure criteria and analysis methodology
- Probabilistic analysis and uncertainty quantification
- Structural stability margin assessment
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