Sr Staff Structural Analyst

About the Role Astra’s Sr Staff Structural Analyst is a senior, technical leader responsible for the comprehensive execution, quality, and technical integrity of complex engineering analyses across rocket and spacecraft propulsion programs. This role sets the technical standard for analysis methodologies, leads the most challenging investigations, and serves as the company’s principal expert in structural, thermal, CFD, and propulsion performance analyses. It is a hands-on role emphasizing technical excellence, mentorship, and design-review leadership. What You'll Do

• Act as the principal subject matter expert and technical authority for high-fidelity engineering analyses (FEA, CFD, thermal, multi-physics).
• Personally lead and execute the most critical analyses to drive primary design decisions for launch vehicles and spacecraft propulsion systems.
• Define, standardize, and institutionalize best practices, tools, and methodologies for engineering analysis; ensure analyses are grounded in first principles and validated against test data.
• Provide technical oversight and final sign-off on critical analysis reports and technical memorandums; lead internal design review boards (PDR, CDR) focused on analysis fidelity and margin assessment.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Design, Manufacturing, Test, and Safety to ensure analysis models reflect real-world boundary conditions, material properties, and manufacturing tolerances.
• Mentor analysis engineers; develop training materials and conduct internal seminars to raise technical competency.
• Establish and drive advanced methods for quantifying uncertainty and margin in analytic models, feeding into system-level reliability assessments. What We're Looking For
• Education: Master’s degree or Ph.D. in Aeronautical, Mechanical, or Civil Engineering, or related field.
• Experience: Minimum of 8 years in aerospace/defense/high-performance industries with focus on launch vehicles, spacecraft, or turbomachinery.
• Domain Expertise: Deep expertise in two or more of the following: FEA, CFD, Thermal analysis.
• Software Proficiency: Expert in NASTRAN/Patran, Abaqus, ANSYS, STAR-CCM+, OpenFOAM.
• Coding: Proficient in Python, MATLAB, or C++.
• Regulatory Knowledge: Familiarity with NASA, DoD, or FAA/AST guidelines.
• Desired: Advanced materials (composites, additive manufacturing, superalloys) in cryogenic or high-temperature environments; experience correlating analyses with ground/flight test data; Independent Contributor leadership; CAD modeling with NX/SolidWorks/CATIA. Nice to Have
• Advanced materials and manufacturing experience in cryogenic/high-temperature contexts.
• Test-correlation experience with ground/flight data.
• IC Leadership (Senior Engineer in an IC role).
• Geometric modeling skills with modern CAD tools (NX, SolidWorks, CATIA). Compensation & Benefits
• Salary range: $160,000 - $220,000 (base, San Francisco Bay Area). This range reflects targeted base salary and excludes bonuses/benefits.
• Additional earnings such as bonus and benefits are not included in the range. Benefits details not specified in the posting.