Spacecraft Structural Engineer

The Role

iO Associates are partnered with an innovative and fast-growing space technology company that is developing next-generation satellite platforms designed to operate in extremely low Earth orbit. As the organisation continues to expand its engineering team, they are seeking a Spacecraft Structural Engineer to support the design, analysis, testing and qualification of mission-critical spacecraft hardware.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a business at the forefront of satellite innovation, working across the full lifecycle of flight hardware development in a highly collaborative environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform structural analysis of spacecraft hardware, propulsion systems and mechanical assemblies.
• Conduct assessments covering static, modal, random vibration, sine vibration, shock and quasi-static load cases.
• Develop, refine and validate finite element models (FEM) for spacecraft structures.
• Perform hand calculations to support and verify analytical models.
• Support structural sizing, stiffness optimisation and load-path analysis.
• Plan and execute environmental test campaigns, including vibration and shock testing.
• Instrument hardware using accelerometers and strain gauges, and correlate test data against analytical models.
• Review engineering drawings and collaborate with design engineers to influence structural decisions.
• Support qualification and verification activities in line with recognised aerospace and space industry standards.
• Contribute throughout development, integration, testing and flight-readiness activities.

Your Profile

• Degree qualified in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Structural Engineering or a related discipline.
• Minimum of 3 years experience in structural analysis of flight hardware, spacecraft, launch vehicles, missiles or other high-performance aerospace structures.
• Experience analysing spacecraft structures and subsystems such as propulsion systems, electronics enclosures, solar arrays or similar assemblies.
• Strong understanding of design for manufacture principles.
• Hands-on experience developing and validating FEM models.
• Experience using industry-standard analysis tools such as NASTRAN, ANSYS, Abaqus or Altair OptiStruct.
• Understanding of launch environments, including vibration, shock and quasi-static load requirements.
• Practical experience supporting environmental test campaigns and model correlation activities.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings and work closely with design teams.
• Experience working with composite structures and materials is desireable.
• Background in metallic and composite materials testing is desireable.

What’s on Offer?

• Equity participation.
• Private healthcare including dental and optical cover.
• Hybrid working arrangement.
• Relocation assistance.
• Opportunity to work on cutting-edge spacecraft programmes from concept through to launch.
• Significant technical ownership and influence within a growing engineering team.

If you’re a structural engineer looking to play a key role in the development of next-generation space systems and want to work in a highly ambitious, fast-scaling environment, we’d love to hear from you.

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