Structural Dynamics Engineer
This posting asks for U.S. citizenship.
About the role
As a Structural Dynamics Engineer at Impulse, your core responsibility will be to determine and validate loads and environments for full vehicles and component subsystems. You will work closely with a fast-paced, agile team that strives to make a high-performance spacecraft from a clean sheet design.
Responsibilities
- Determine critical loads during launch, deployment, on-orbit operation, and ground handling
- Generate and apply forcing functions for engine-borne dynamic excitation
- Determine appropriate environments from vibration, acoustic, and shock sources
- Develop and improve finite element models of primary structures and mechanisms
- Develop and integrate Craig-Bampton reduced models for launch vehicle integration
- Generate rigid-body deployment simulations and validate with deployment testing
- Analyze and direct dynamic testing from pre-test analysis to post-test correlation
- Effectively communicate results to Responsible Engineers and Designers and collaborate on improvements and solutions
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering
- 4+ years of demonstrated experience with structural dynamic analysis of high performance systems
- Proficient with at least one industry standard structural FEA package (Femap/Patran/NASTRAN, ANSYS, Abaqus, etc.)
- Demonstrated experience solving structural dynamic or vibration driven problems
- Demonstrated experience with time and frequency domain analysis
- Demonstrated proficiency with Matlab, Python or similar applications
- Demonstrated proficiency with CAD software and the ability to learn new tools
- Ability to communicate technical challenges, explain rationale and/or resolve concerns
Preferred Skills and Experience
- A graduate degree (MS / PhD) in engineering or related field working with numerical methods
- 6+ years hands-on experience with dynamic structural testing, including: random vibration, acoustics, sine vibration, sine burst, shock, and modal survey
- Hands-on experience with sensor selection, test parameter selection, and data analysis
- Working knowledge of launch vehicle loads
- Demonstrated experience with acoustic vibration analysis software such as VA One
- Demonstrated experience working on a launch vehicle or satellite development effort
- Previous experience in a startup or agile development environment
Additional Information
Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options, and access to medical, vision & dental coverage as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.
****To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here .
Impulse Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Impulse Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.
Copied from the listing Impulse Space published, verified 1 Nov 2026.
About Impulse Space
Transfer vehicles that carry satellites past the orbit their rocket leaves them in.
Redondo Beach is Impulse Space's headquarters, a 60,000-square-foot site where it designs, builds, tests and assembles most of its Mira and Helios vehicles. (Source: Impulse Space)
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