Essential Responsibilities
Technical Leadership:
- Lead damage characterization programmes for wind turbine blade primary and secondary composite structures, covering glass fiber (GFRP), carbon fiber (CFRP), and hybrid laminates used in spar caps, shear webs, and shells.
- Define and own the technical strategy for blade damage tolerance and structural integrity, integrating field-observed damage with laboratory characterization and analytical predictions.
- Act as the technical expert for damage characterization methodologies, providing guidance on blade-specific damage scenarios encountered during manufacturing, transportation, installation, and service.
Damage Characterization & Testing:
- Lead the design and execution of multi-scale damage characterization campaigns relevant to complex composite structures. This may include delamination, matrix cracking, impact damage, and fatigue-driven progressive damage studies.
- Define test matrices and specimen configurations representative of full-scale component construction.
- Interpret and disposition complex composite component damage states including matrix cracking, delamination, and fiber waviness.
Analytical & Computational Support:
- Oversee and critically review Progressive Failure Analysis (PFA) and Continuum Damage Mechanics (CDM) models supporting composite damage assessment.
- Validate finite element predictions against experimental characterization data.
- Apply and assess applicability of failure criteria for composite-specific damage modes (Hashin, Puck, Cohesive Zone Models, VCCT).
Standards, Certification & Lifetime Management:
- Apply and interpret relevant industry structural standards and certification frameworks (IEC 61400-5) for wind turbine blades.
- Develop, own and maintain design specifications and/or rules for composite structure failure modes.
- Support full-scale blade structural testing programs (IEC 61400-23) with damage characterization input.
Qualification / Requirements
Education: MEng / MSc or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Aerospace Engineering, Structural Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
Experience:
- 8+ years of hands-on experience in composite structures with significant focus on damage mechanics and characterization.
- Demonstrated experience in large-scale or advanced composite structures (e.g., aerospace, marine, wind, automotive).
- Proven track record of leading experimental damage characterization programmes for thick-section glass, carbon fiber laminates or sandwich laminates.
- Experience working within equivalent structural certification processes within high-performance composite industries.
- Experience operating within a building block approach framework (coupon → sub-component → full-scale)
Technical Skills:
- GFRP / CFRP damage failure modes
- Interlaminar fracture toughness testing (DCB/ENF/MMB)
- Fatigue damage progression in composites
- NDE/NDT methods (UT, thermography, AE)
- FEA for damage modelling (e.g., Abaqus)
- Relevant industry structural standards (e.g., aerospace, marine, wind)
- Python / MATLAB for data processing
Desired Characteristics
- Experience with full-scale composite structural testing (static and fatigue) and damage monitoring.
- Familiarity with Digital Image Correlation (DIC) for full-field strain and damage mapping on composite specimens/components.
- Experience with structural health monitoring (SHM) systems deployed on operating composite structures.
- Exposure to thermoplastic composite development and associated damage behaviour.
- Knowledge of environmental challenges for composites: salt spray, UV degradation, humidity-driven damage, etc.
- Publications or presentations in relevant composite conferences (e.g., ICCM, ECCM, SAMPE, AIAA).
Behaviours & Leadership Attributes:
- Technical Authority: Recognized composite damage expert; shapes programme technical direction.
- Problem Solving: Resolves novel in-service composite component damage scenarios independently.
- Communication: Translates complex findings for asset owners, operators & certifiers.
- Collaboration: Builds strong links across composite component design, test, field & certification teams.
- Mentorship: Actively develops damage mechanics capability in others.
- Delivery Focus: Balances technical rigor with program and outage schedules.
Relocation Assistance Provided: Yes
Skills Required
- MEng/MSc or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Aerospace Engineering, Structural Engineering
- 8+ years of experience in composite structures and damage mechanics
- Experience in large-scale composite structures like aerospace, marine, wind, automotive
- Proven experience in leading experimental damage characterization programs
- Experience with structural certification processes in high-performance composite industries
- Experience with FEA for damage modelling
GE Vernova Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about GE Vernova and has not been reviewed or approved by GE Vernova.
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Retirement Support — The 401(k) plan includes company matching contributions and additional company retirement contributions, with access to Fidelity resources and financial planning consultants. Feedback suggests this structure supports long-term savings beyond a basic match.
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Parental & Family Support — Paid parental leave is available with flexible, continuous or non-continuous usage, and is complemented by adoption resources and Work/Life Connections guidance. Maternity leave is described as extended relative to typical workplace norms.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time-off programs include 12 paid holidays, permissive time off for many salaried roles, and dedicated personal, illness, and caregiving time for U.S. new hires. Some hourly roles start with a defined PTO bank, while other roles may offer unlimited time off.
GE Vernova Insights
What We Do
GE Vernova is a planned purpose-built company on a mission to electrify the planet while simultaneously working to decarbonize it. If we want our energy future to be different…we must be different. Our mission is embedded in our name. We retain our treasured legacy, “GE,” in our name as an enduring and hard-earned badge of quality and ingenuity. “Ver” / “verde” signal Earth’s verdant and lush ecosystems. “Nova,” from the Latin “novus,” nods to a new, innovative era of lower carbon energy that GE Vernova will help deliver. GE Vernova brings together GE’s portfolio of energy businesses including Power, Wind, Electrification and Digital businesses. With focus, GE Vernova is accelerating the path to more reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy, while helping our customers power economies and deliver the electricity that is vital to health, safety, security, and improved quality of life. Together, we have The Energy to Change the World.
Why Work With Us
Join our team, to evolve and grow, surrounded by some of the brightest minds in the industry who help you get better every day. You’ll get the chance to rewrite the rules, work on cutting-edge technology, and be part of a global team for positive change.
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