Senior Staff Structural Analyst - Spacecraft Engineering

About Capella

Capella, an IonQ company, spans national security, advanced sensing, and next-generation compute to deliver secure, mission-ready intelligence. Capella’s culture is built on collaboration, rigorous engineering, and a shared commitment to delivering solutions that strengthen global stability and security. Team members work side-by-side with some of the most innovative minds in space systems, quantum-enabled technologies, and mission-critical operations.

Capella values curiosity, resilience, and a willingness to tackle hard problems with precision and creativity. Capella welcomes and encourages applicants whose perspectives are historically underrepresented in technology, national security, and aerospace. No prior space experience is required. Diverse viewpoints strengthen Capella’s ability to innovate and deliver meaningful impact for partners worldwide.

Location: This role will be based onsite at our office in Louisville, CO or San Francisco, CA.
Travel: Up to 10%, domestic or international.
Job ID: 1784

The Role

Capella, an IonQ company, is looking for a seasoned Structural Analyst to help refine our current analysis tools that support the design, development, and qualification of hardware for space applications. The candidate will advance Capella’s FEA modeling and analysis abilities by developing a standardized analysis approach with associated documentation, creating detailed FEA models of the spacecraft and components used for vehicle level analysis and to output environments for design and test, and support the improvement of designs.  You will have the unique opportunity to come in at an early stage and develop the tools and processes that will be used to guide Capella’s growth.

The successful candidate will work closely with design, manufacturing, systems, test, and program teams to ensure hardware meets performance, reliability, and mission requirements while maintaining aggressive development schedules.

The ideal candidate possesses deep expertise in finite element analysis (FEA), structural dynamics, fracture mechanics, composite and metallic structures, and aerospace design practices. Experience supporting commercial and government spaceflight programs is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

• Perform detailed structural analyses for spacecraft, payload, and ground support hardware.
• Develop, correlate, and maintain high-fidelity finite element models for static, dynamic, thermal, and nonlinear analyses.
• Generate component level dynamic environments (vibe/shock), acoustic, loads, and thermal limits from launch environments and thermal environments.
• Generate structural margins of safety in accordance with customer and industry standards.
• Provide analytical recommendations that support engineering trade studies and critical project decisions.
• Partner with and mentor design engineers to improve structures for strength, stiffness, weight, manufacturability, and cost.
• Evaluate structural performance under launch, transportation, and operational environments.
• Perform analyses including:
• Linear and nonlinear static analysis
• Modal and frequency response analysis
• Random vibration
• Shock analysis
• Buckling analysis
• Fatigue and fracture mechanics
• Thermal stress analysis
• Contact and large-deformation analysis
• Develop, validate, and update Craig-Bampton reduced-order models (Component Mode Synthesis models) for integrated vehicle dynamic analyses and customer interface requirements, including delivery of Craig-Bampton models to SpaceX and other launch service providers in accordance with provided specifications.
• Prepare structural analysis reports, certification documentation, and technical presentations for internal and external customers.
• Support hardware qualification and acceptance testing through pre-test predictions and post-test correlation.
• Strong understanding of vibration testing:
• Aid in fixture design and test setup (accelerometer locations, etc.)
• Understanding of notching and other force limiting techniques
• Ability to review test response results and evaluate impacts on components when levels may be exceeded
• Participate in design reviews including PDR, CDR, TRR, and FRR.
• Support anomaly investigations, root cause analyses, and corrective action implementation.
• Collaborate with manufacturing and test teams to resolve structural issues throughout production and integration.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related engineering discipline
• 5+ years of structural analysis experience supporting aerospace or spaceflight hardware.
• Ability to make technically sound decisions under schedule constraints.
• Self-motivated with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Attention to detail with a commitment to engineering excellence and flight safety.
• Ability to communicate complex structural concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of mechanics of materials, structural dynamics, and aerospace structural design.
• Knowledge of launch vehicle environments, coupled loads analysis, vibration, shock, and acoustic loading.
• Experience analyzing metallic and composite structures, using both classical hand calculations as well as FEA and other computer aided methods.
• Familiarity with aerospace materials, fastener design, joints, and bonded assemblies.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings, GD&T, and manufacturing processes.
• Excellent technical communication and documentation skills.
• Experience generating and correlating Craig-Bampton reduced-order models
• Software Experience:
• NASTRAN - developing and running finite element models
• Proficiency with pre/post-processing software including HyperMesh, Patran, FEMAP, or equivalent.
• To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Capella Employees must be a U.S. citizen, lawful U.S. permanent resident (i.e., current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State and/or the U.S. Department of Commerce, as applicable. Learn more about ITAR here.

What Success Looks Like

Success in this role is demonstrated by consistently delivering accurate, high-quality structural analyses that enable informed engineering decisions, reduce technical risk, support qualification, and ensure compliance with customer requirements. The Structural Analyst serves as a trusted technical authority, providing structural insight that contributes directly to mission success from concept development through launch and on-orbit operations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting spacecraft, satellites, and launch vehicles.
• Experience delivering structural dynamic models to launch providers, such as SpaceX.
• Experience correlating analytical models with qualification and flight test data.
• Experience with additively manufactured structures.
• Knowledge of NASA, DoD, ESA, or commercial space structural verification requirements.
• Software Experience:
• Solidworks 2024 for CAD
• Experience with analysis tools such as: ANSYS, Adams, NASGRO, ABAQUS, etc.
• Experience with optimization, scripting, or automation using Python, MATLAB, or similar languages.
• Familiarity with PLM and configuration management systems such as ARAS

The total compensation package includes base salary, bonus, equity, and a range of benefits available on our career site.