Stress Analyst – Aircraft Structures | Fastwater Staffing

📍 Location: Costa Mesa, CA
📄 Employment Type: 6-Month Contract, with potential for conversion to full-time
🏢 Work Arrangement: 100% On-site, Monday–Friday
🚀 Start Date: TBD
💰 Compensation: TBD — based on skills and experience

Important Screening Requirements

• Must be authorized to work in the United States.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen and eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret Security Clearance.
• Experience supporting aerospace, defense, or advanced aircraft development programs is highly preferred.
• Must be willing and able to work on-site in Costa Mesa, CA, Monday–Friday.
• Candidates outside Southern California must be willing to relocate and commit to the full-time on-site schedule.
• The team may potentially transition operations to the Long Beach, CA area in approximately one year.

About the Role

We are seeking a skilled Stress Analyst – Aircraft Structures to support the structural analysis of advanced aerospace vehicles and components.

This is a hands-on structural analysis role focused on evaluating aircraft structures for strength, stability, fatigue, damage tolerance, and other structural performance requirements. The ideal candidate has strong experience with FEMAP and NASTRAN, understands both finite element and first-principles methods, and can independently take an analysis from applied loads through finite element modeling, margins of safety, and technical reporting.

You will work closely with multidisciplinary engineering and manufacturing teams in a fast-paced aerospace development environment.

What We’re Looking For

We’re looking for a hands-on structural analyst who can independently own analyses from loads and assumptions through FEA, results interpretation, margins, and reporting. Strong experience with FEMAP and NASTRAN, combined with practical knowledge of aircraft structural mechanics and the ability to perform first-principles calculations, is essential.

Experience with both metallic and composite structures, advanced aerospace vehicles, rapid prototyping, and manufacturing/integration environments will be particularly valuable.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform structural analysis at the component, assembly, and aircraft levels.
• Develop and evaluate finite element models using FEMAP and NASTRAN.
• Analyze structures for:
  • Strength
  • Buckling
  • Fatigue
  • Damage tolerance
  • Other applicable failure modes
• Evaluate load paths and structural response using both finite element methods and first-principles engineering calculations.
• Perform hand calculations to validate and supplement FEA.
• Analyze both metallic and composite aerospace structures.
• Evaluate composite structures for relevant failure modes, including delamination where applicable.
• Review structural loads, boundary conditions, material properties, and modeling assumptions.
• Develop, modify, and review NASTRAN input decks and solver cards.
• Interpret FEA results and calculate margins of safety and other structural performance metrics.
• Prepare clear technical documentation and analysis reports.
• Collaborate with engineering, manufacturing, integration, and other technical teams to resolve structural issues.
• Support prototype development, testing, manufacturing, and integration activities as needed.
• Communicate analysis assumptions, findings, risks, and recommendations to technical stakeholders.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
• 4+ years of relevant experience in aerospace structural analysis, stress analysis, or a closely related field.
• Hands-on FEMAP experience is required.
• Experience with NASTRAN or a comparable structural finite element solver.
• Strong preference for candidates with direct experience working with NASTRAN input decks and cards.
• Strong understanding of aircraft structural mechanics and stress analysis.
• Experience with structural strength, buckling, fatigue, damage tolerance, load paths, and/or related structural analysis methods.
• Experience analyzing metallic and/or composite aerospace structures.
• Strong understanding of material properties and structural behavior.
• Ability to perform engineering hand calculations and apply first-principles methods.
• Experience taking an analysis from applied loads → finite element modeling → results interpretation → margins → technical reporting.
• Strong technical communication and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced engineering environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with both metallic and composite aerospace structures.
• Experience with composite laminate analysis and delamination assessment.
• Experience with high-temperature materials or structures.
• Experience supporting hypersonic or other high-performance aerospace systems.
• Experience with clean-sheet aircraft development.
• Experience working on uncrewed aircraft or other advanced aerospace vehicles.
• Experience in rapid prototype development and manufacturing environments.
• Siemens NX proficiency.
• Hands-on manufacturing or integration experience.
• Broad experience across multiple aircraft programs.
• Practical aircraft knowledge or experience working directly with aircraft systems and structures.

Work Environment

This is a fully on-site engineering position in Costa Mesa, California, Monday through Friday. The role involves close collaboration with engineering, manufacturing, and integration teams and may include support for prototype manufacturing and vehicle integration activities.