SSTL is seeking a motivated and dynamic Senior Structural and Mechanical Systems Engineer to help shape and influence current and future flight spacecraft structures and mechanical systems. As part of the mechanical team, you will play a vital role in spacecraft layout, structural developments, and the analysis of new structural systems. You will oversee structural and mechanical sub-systems from concept through to ground verification testing and flight, working closely with mechanical design and principal engineers. The role involves a combination of structural design, analysis, and testing activities, as well as supporting the development of spacecraft mechanical systems to ensure reliable operation in demanding environments. This work focuses on delivering innovative and robust solutions for spacecraft structures and mechanical systems

Key Tasks

• Technical Leadership: Serve as the Technical Lead for structural and mechanical system design for spacecraft structures.

• Work Package Management: Develop and maintain schedules and budgets for mechanical and structural Work Packages, reporting budget and schedule deviations and managing risks.

• Risk Management: Identify, monitor, and mitigate structural and mechanical systems risks.

• Requirement Management: Flow down customer requirements to subsystem and hardware levels, ensuring compliance and validation.

• Development Plans: Define, organise, and implement structural development, qualification, and validation plans.

• Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and Analytical Modelling: Develop and manage analytical models for structures and subsystems using FEA, performing static, dynamic, and quasi-static analyses to validate numerical results with test data and determine structural margins of safety. Refine numerical models to ensure alignment with experimental data.

• Environmental Specifications: Derive environmental envelope specifications from launch documentation, analytical results, and test data.

• Mass Properties Management: Manage structural and system mass properties including mass, centre of gravity and moments/ products of inertia.

• Test Campaigns: Define, organise, and lead structural testing (vibration, static, acoustic, shock, and mass properties)

• Documentation: Maintain design/analysis logs, document analysis activities, and write test and compliance reports.

• Customer Engagement: Present work at internal and external reviews, ensuring effective communication and reporting.

PERSON SPECIFICATION (essential requirements)

Qualifications

• A good degree in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent 

Experience

• 10+ years analytical design experience for structures

Knowledge & Skills

• Use of software packages including Nastran, HyperMesh, SmartOffice, MATLAB, Ansys Workbench, Solidworks

• Analysis of both lightweight metallic and composite materials to provide margin of safety/reserve factors using a combination of hand stressing and FEA.

• Experience of spacecraft level static, dynamic and thermo-elastic analysis using the latest FEA tools.

• Exposure to spacecraft development and qualification planning

• Experience of spacecraft mechanical testing such as vibration, static and shock.

• Ability to manage work packages and be responsible for delivery of work to budget and on schedule

• Good management and organisational skills

• Able to be flexible to changing work demands and able to work under pressure and to tight deadlines

• Experience of documenting and presenting work effectively.

• Innovative, self-motivated and proactive in solving issues

• Competent in Microsoft Office suite

• Proven effective communication with project managers and customers