Structures Design Lead

We are looking for an experienced structures design leader to lead our structures design team from conceptual design through certification of our large, manned, Part 25 clean-sheet aircraft. This role would entail leading structural design efforts for one or several structural zones including fuselage, cabin pressure vessel, empennage, or secondary structure, with accountability for the design lifecycle of the assigned area including structural architecture, producibility, ease of assembly and maintenance, and certification support. An ideal candidate will bring strong experience with composite and metallic structural design concepts and will be a hands-on Catia user who serves as a technical example for the team, directly creating and developing aircraft structural design content while coordinating closely with manufacturing engineering and other stakeholders to ensure designs are robust, producible, and aligned to our aircraft requirements.

 This position can be remote with travel but ideally would like someone in the Colorado area.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the structures design team from preliminary through detail design, build, and certification 

• Provide technical leadership across internal teams and adjacent engineering functions to deliver integrated structural design solutions 

• Own interface management and coordination across the structural design scope 

• Lead across manufacturing, systems, and other engineering stakeholders to ensure designs are producible and aligned with architecture and requirements 

Required Qualifications:

• 10+ years of related experience in aerospace engineering, with structural design leadership preferred 

• Bachelors or Masters degree in Aerospace or Mechanical engineering or equivalent 

• 5+ years leading teams of design engineers and/or cross-functional structural teams 

• Significant hands-on experience using Catia v5/v6 or 3DEXPERIENCE for aerospace structural design, including direct part, assembly, and geometry development; recognized as a heavy Catia user and technical leader for the team 

• Experience working in cross-functional development environments through major design and certification milestones 

• Experience working with external partners and suppliers on development projects 

Desired Technical Skills: 

• Experience with aircraft conceptual development / pre-Preliminary Design Review phase through certification 

• Composite and metallic structures design experience 

• Working knowledge of structural sizing methods, hand calculations, and finite element analysis sufficient to evaluate structural concepts and guide the team, with primary emphasis on design leadership rather than detailed analysis ownership 

• Experience supporting structural test planning and structural testing at element through aircraft assembly level 

• Strong certification knowledge and experience with CFR Part 25 desired (Part 23 is OK) 

• Experience in writing and reviewing system level requirements 

• At least 500h experience with requirements management tools such as Jama or Doors 

• Strong experience with Catia v5/v6 or 3DEXPERIENCE and PLM tools such as Teamcenter, Windchill, or Enovia, including frequent direct creation and modification of parts and assemblies, generating section cuts, interrogating geometry, and use of routine PLM functions such as lock/unlock and releasing files 

Soft Skills:

• Creative, curious, methodical, and detail-oriented 

• Works well in a collaborative environment and leads effectively across multiple teams and companies 

• Strong design judgment and problem-solving skills, with the ability to balance technical rigor, simplicity, and program needs 

• Approaches problem solving with a holistic view across design, manufacturing, certification, and integration 

• Strong communication skills and can easily tailor communication to suit the audience