Loads Development Lead (Aerospace)

Location: Hybrid, with candidates located near Denver/Centennial, Colorado Springs, Colorado, or Long Beach, California; some work must be performed onsite.

Base salary: $175,000–$305,000 annually, plus equity and benefits.

Company

hirify.global develops autonomous spacecraft, advanced payloads, mission software, and space-based interceptors for U.S. and allied space defense.

What you will do

• Own loads development across ground handling, launch, on-orbit operations, intercept maneuvers, and end-of-life scenarios.
• Establish standards and processes for loads generation, combination, margins, traceability, and documentation.
• Develop and validate Coupled Loads Analyses, derive Mass Acceleration Curves, and decompose system-level loads into design and verification requirements.
• Define governing load cases, adjudicate discrepancies across subsystem analyses, and maintain the Loads Data Book.
• Collaborate with structures, dynamics, thermal, mechanisms, avionics, systems engineering, GNC, propulsion, trajectory, environments, and test teams.
• Lead load-driven design trade studies, risk reduction and anomaly resolution, technical reviews, and analyst mentoring.

Requirements

• 8+ years of full-lifecycle structural loads development experience for aerospace systems such as spacecraft, interceptors, or launch vehicles.
• Expertise in Coupled Loads Analysis, load derivation, structural dynamics, structural verification, and systems-level load integration.
• Experience generating and managing loads across multiple mission phases and operational environments.
• Experience authoring and maintaining formal loads documentation, including Loads Data Books or equivalent governing artifacts.
• Proficiency with Femap, NASTRAN, MATLAB, Python, or equivalent analysis tools.
• U.S. citizenship and eligibility for a DoD Secret clearance are required; ITAR eligibility is also required. A bachelor’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, or related engineering is required.

Nice to have

• Master’s or Ph.D. in aerospace engineering, structural engineering, or a related discipline.
• Experience with space-based interceptor defense systems, highly dynamic flight regimes, DoD or Space Force programs, and certification processes.
• Experience with classified programs, controlled technical data, probabilistic loads, uncertainty quantification, or margin optimization.
• Technical team leadership experience and TS/SCI clearance.

Culture & Benefits

• Hybrid work environment with a combination of onsite and flexible work.
• Health, dental, vision, HRA/HSA options, PTO, and paid holidays.
• 401(k) and parental leave.
• Equity compensation.