Lead Loads and Dynamics Engineer

Location: Onsite in Hawthorne, California, United States

Salary: $170,000–$230,000 per year

Company

hirify.global designs, builds, and operates multipurpose commercial planetary rovers for exploration and operations on distant planetary bodies.

What you will do

• Develop loads and dynamics methodology for spacecraft and planetary rover programs.
• Produce mechanical loads and environmental analysis outputs for critical engineering decisions.
• Define dynamic testing strategy across component and vehicle levels, including vibration, shock, and acoustic testing.
• Work with design and operations teams to influence hardware designs and test plans.
• Build analysis tools and infrastructure, including specialized integrations with Femap and MATLAB.
• Lead team execution across program phases and develop dynamics engineers.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in spacecraft dynamics modeling and testing.
• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field or equivalent experience.
• Experience with Femap and NASTRAN for dynamics simulation.
• Experience with MATLAB for data analysis.
• Experience mentoring and developing junior engineers, contractors, and interns.
• Ability to work onsite in Hawthorne, California.

Nice to have

• Master’s degree in a STEM field.
• Experience leading projects from start to finish.
• Experience developing specialized analysis tools and Femap API integrations.
• Experience with dynamic testing of large space vehicles.
• Experience with transient dynamic simulation or multibody dynamic modeling.

Culture & Benefits

• Inclusive, collaborative environment focused on trust, diverse perspectives, quality, and impact.
• Equity ownership in the company.
• Medical, dental, vision, and mental health benefits.
• 401(k) plan with company match.
• Flexible PTO, parental leave, and home office setup reimbursement.
• Onsite lunch stipend, snacks, beverages, and monthly social hours.

Hiring process

• Application review.
• Recruiter phone interview and video interviews.
• Onsite interview followed by an offer and hiring decision.