Stress Engineer/Analyst (Contract to Perm)

About the role

The Stress Analyst is responsible for the structural analysis, substantiation, and documentation of aircraft structures and mechanical systems associated with aircraft modifications, repairs, and certification programs.

This role performs analytical evaluations to verify that aircraft structures and installations satisfy applicable strength, stiffness, fatigue, damage tolerance, and airworthiness requirements. The Stress Analyst develops engineering reports, substantiation packages, and supporting documentation required to demonstrate compliance with applicable regulatory and customer requirements.

Stress Analysts work closely with Mechanical Engineers, Mechanical Designers, Electrical Engineers, Certification Engineers, Production personnel, and external stakeholders to ensure aircraft modifications are structurally sound, manufacturable, maintainable, and certifiable. They provide technical guidance throughout the design process by validating engineering assumptions, identifying structural risks, and supporting fabrication, installation, testing, and certification activities.

What You Will Be Doing

• Perform structural analyses and develop substantiation demonstrating compliance with applicable regulatory, customer, and airworthiness requirements for aircraft modifications, repairs, and certification programs.
• Develop engineering analyses including static strength, fatigue, damage tolerance, vibration, thermal, and other evaluations necessary to support design decisions and certification activities.
• Prepare engineering reports, stress reports, margin of safety calculations, compliance documentation, and supporting technical data required for regulatory approval.
• Review engineering designs, drawings, and proposed aircraft modifications to verify structural integrity, manufacturability, maintainability, and compliance with applicable requirements.
• Develop structural load paths, free-body diagrams, analytical models, and engineering assumptions supporting substantiation activities.
• Coordinate with Mechanical Engineers, Mechanical Design Engineers, Electrical Engineers, Certification Engineers, Production, Quality, and external stakeholders to resolve structural issues and support successful program execution.
• Support development of certification artifacts, compliance substantiation, engineering reports, test plans, and supporting documentation required for regulatory and customer approval.
• Provide technical support during fabrication, assembly, installation, troubleshooting, testing, and aircraft modification activities.
• Participate in engineering design reviews and provide technical recommendations regarding structural integrity, safety, performance, reliability, maintainability, and regulatory compliance.
• Maintain engineering analyses and supporting documentation under configuration control and ensure work products comply with company standards and procedures.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives, development of engineering analysis methods, design standards, and lessons-learned activities.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Director of Engineering.

You Must Have

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related engineering discipline from an accredited college or university.
• Experience performing structural analyses and developing engineering substantiation for aircraft structures, mechanical systems, or aerospace products.
• Working knowledge of structural mechanics, materials, fatigue, damage tolerance, vibration, analytical methods, finite element analysis (FEA), classical hand calculations, and engineering evaluation techniques.
• Experience preparing engineering analyses, stress reports, margin of safety calculations, and supporting compliance documentation.
• Strong analytical, organizational, written, and verbal communication skills, including proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.
• Ability to work in both office and aircraft hangar environments.
• U.S. Citizenship or Permanent Resident status.

Nice to Haves

• Five or more years of experience supporting aircraft modification, repair, integration, or aerospace product development programs.
• Experience developing structural substantiation supporting FAA certification, STC programs, military airworthiness, or other regulated aerospace projects.
• Familiarity with MIL-HDBK-516C airworthiness requirements and military aircraft modification programs.
• Experience performing static strength, fatigue, damage tolerance, vibration, thermal, or finite element analyses supporting aircraft structures.
• Experience developing engineering reports, substantiation packages, compliance documentation, test plans, and certification support documentation.
• Experience supporting aircraft production, modification, installation, ground testing, or flight test activities.
• Familiarity with aerospace materials, manufacturing processes, fastener systems, composite structures, and aircraft structural repair practices.
• Experience using commercial engineering analysis software such as ANSYS, FEMAP, NASTRAN, Abaqus, Mathcad, or equivalent analytical tools.
• Experience working directly with customers, DERs, FAA representatives, OEMs, suppliers, or certification authorities.
• Familiarity with configuration management, engineering release processes, and aerospace quality systems such as AS9100.

Aery Aviation job descriptions are meant as summarizations only.
They do not necessarily reflect all duties and responsibilities of a position.

If this opportunity excites you, come join our team!

For Aery Aviation, the question isn’t: “Can we?” When others are limited in the common approach, Aery Aviation jumps into higher gear asking, “How can we do this?” and then proceeds into problem-solving for customers. This is what customers appreciate most about Aery Aviation - avid tenacity. It’s not cookie cutter production that Aery Aviation is cultivating; it is projects that inspire the Aery Aviation work-family to come together and brainstorm, excited to come to work every day because there is always something inventive and interesting to work on.

Our Benefits
We offer the right candidate the chance to join a forward-thinking organization, supported by a competitive compensation and benefits package. Learn more about Aery Aviation, LLC at www.aeryaviation.com.

Aery Aviation, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer

At Aery Aviation, we are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.

About Aery Aviation LLC

Our Purpose: Aviation Professionals Improving Lives Through Innovation

Aery Aviation, LLC is an aerospace engineering, aircraft modification, certification, manufacturing, and flight operations company headquartered in Newport News, Virginia. Aery provides integrated aviation solutions supporting defense, government, commercial, and special mission operators worldwide. The company holds FAA Part 135 and Part 145 certificates, AS9100D and ISO 9001 certifications, and provides engineering, aircraft integration, manufacturing, certification, maintenance, and flight operations supporting advanced aerospace programs.