The future of aerospace and defense starts here.
Ursa Major was founded to revolutionize how America and its allies access and apply high-performance propulsion, from hypersonics to solid rocket motors, satellite maneuvering and launch. We design and deliver propulsion and defense systems that solve the most urgent and critical national security demands.
As a Staff Analysis Engineer, you will provide technical leadership in structural and/or thermal‑fluids analysis for aerospace vehicles and propulsion systems. You will work across multiple engines, stages, and supporting systems, bringing best practices from prior roles, supporting and/or leading verification and validation, and providing proactive design feedback. You will help assess nonconforming hardware, improve analysis methods, and mentor other engineers over time.
Responsibilities (may apply in combination and/or based on focus)
- Evaluate designs through static, dynamic, fatigue, and/or fracture analyses to meet performance, reliability, and life objectives.
- Develop and maintain system‑level and/or detailed FEM/FEA models for vehicles and propulsion systems; propagate loads and support loads development.
- Perform thermal‑structural and/or coupled thermal‑stress analyses, including nonlinear materials and large strains, and support vibration/shock analysis as needed.
- Verify and validate analytical and/or fluid system models, anchoring them to test data; work with test teams to define necessary instrumentation.
- Use hand calculations and/or CFD to assess fluid behavior (e.g., pressure drops, mass‑flow distribution, component performance) in engine and vehicle systems.
- Build steady‑state and/or transient 1D fluid models to predict system operating states, startup/shutdown behavior, and other key transients.
- Collaborate with design, systems, and manufacturing to ensure requirements and standards are met, and to disposition nonconforming hardware and repairs.
- Support anomaly and/or failure investigations through structural and/or fluid modeling and participation in root‑cause analysis.
- Improve analysis methods, workflows, and tools; contribute to team capability growth and provide technical guidance.
Minimum Requirements
- S. in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering or a related field.
- ~10+ years of structural and/or thermal‑fluids analysis experience on vehicles and/or propulsion systems.
- Strong background in structural mechanics and/or in fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and heat transfer.
- Experience performing FEA/FEM using commercial codes (e.g., ANSYS, Abaqus, NASTRAN‑based solvers).
- Experience anchoring analytical and/or fluid models to physical test data.
- Fatigue and fracture experience (e.g., HCF SN, LCF e‑N, and/or LEFM crack growth/safe‑life; NASGRO or similar tools beneficial).
- Experience in CFD and/or 1D fluid system modeling using commercial and/or lumped‑parameter tools (e.g., ANSYS Fluent/CFX, ROCETS, GFSSP, SINDA/FLUINT or similar).
- Programming skills for analysis automation and data processing (Python preferred; MATLAB or similar acceptable).
- Effective written and verbal communication; comfortable working in a fast‑paced, startup environment on safety‑critical systems.
Preferred Requirements
- S. or PhD in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering with emphasis in solid mechanics, fatigue/fracture, structural dynamics, fluids, and/or thermal sciences.
- ~12+ years combined structural and/or fluids analysis experience, ideally in rocketry or turbomachinery.
- Experience with advanced dynamics and loads (modal, random vibration, shock response).
- Specialized CFD (e.g., pumps, turbines, cavitation/two‑phase, combustion, or unsteady flows) and/or transient 1D modeling (e.g., water hammer, engine start).
- Experience with cryogenic, high‑pressure pneumatic, two‑phase or supercritical, and/or compressible flow systems.
- Familiarity with turbomachinery analytical methods (e.g., Campbell diagrams, rotordynamics) and/or composite materials, insulation, and ablative TPS.
- Experience supporting failure investigations and root‑cause analysis on development, test, or flight hardware.
Colorado law requires us to tell you the base compensation range of this role, which is $140,000 - $175,000, determined by your education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities. What we can’t quantify for you are the exciting challenges, supportive team, and amazing culture we enjoy.
Classification: Full-time Exempt
Benefits Include: (Please note, Interns are not eligible for benefits)
- Unlimited PTO - Vacation, Sick, Personal, and Bereavement
- Paid Parental and Adoptive Leave
- Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance
- Tax Advantage Accounts (HSA/FSA)
- Employer Paid Short and Long Term Disability, Basic Life, AD&D
- Additional Benefit Options Including Voluntary Life and Emergency Medical Transport
- EAP Program
- Retirement Savings Plan - 401k with Company Match
- Equity Grants in the Company
How To Apply:
Interested candidates are encouraged to apply by filling out the application below and clicking "Submit Application". This position will be posted for a minimum of 3 days and will remain open until filled or adjusted based on the volume of applicants.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field
- Approximately 10 or more years of structural and/or thermal-fluids analysis experience on vehicles and/or propulsion systems
- Strong background in structural mechanics and/or fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and heat transfer
- Experience performing FEA/FEM using commercial codes such as ANSYS, Abaqus, or NASTRAN-based solvers
- Experience validating analytical and/or fluid models against physical test data
- Fatigue and fracture analysis experience, including HCF, LCF, LEFM crack growth, or safe-life methods
- Experience with CFD and/or 1D fluid system modeling using commercial or lumped-parameter tools
- Programming skills for analysis automation and data processing; Python preferred, MATLAB or similar acceptable
- Effective written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to work in a fast-paced startup environment on safety-critical systems
- Master's or PhD in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering with emphasis in relevant engineering disciplines
- Approximately 12 or more years of combined structural and/or fluids analysis experience, ideally in rocketry or turbomachinery
- Experience with advanced dynamics and loads, including modal analysis, random vibration, and shock response
- Specialized CFD or transient 1D modeling experience
- Experience with cryogenic, high-pressure pneumatic, two-phase, supercritical, and/or compressible flow systems
- Familiarity with turbomachinery analytical methods, composite materials, insulation, and/or ablative thermal protection systems
- Experience supporting failure investigations and root-cause analysis on development, test, or flight hardware
- Must be a U.S. Person, including U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents
- Eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance
What the Team is Saying
Ursa Major Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time off is structured with an unlimited PTO policy plus two companywide paid breaks (mid‑summer and year‑end), creating predictable downtime alongside flexibility. Company holidays and shutdowns are consistently highlighted across employer materials and third‑party profiles.
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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage is described as comprehensive, including medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, life/AD&D, and short‑term disability, with mental‑health resources also noted. These elements appear on the company’s careers page and are echoed by external listings.
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Parental & Family Support — Paid parental and adoptive leave are emphasized, alongside family supports such as an onsite Mother’s Room and company‑sponsored family events. External profiles characterize the parental offering as generous.
Ursa Major Insights
What We Do
Ursa Major was founded to address a critical shortfall in the U.S. industrial base and bring a new model to aerospace and defense systems: we design and manufacture the world’s leading propulsion systems for space, hypersonic applications, and missile systems. Our products and technologies require an extraordinary team – a team that will mold tomorrow’s technologies while deploying today’s best. We are an intrinsically motivated team that has a passion for solving problems and empowering each other every day to develop our skills, knowing that there is always room for growth.
Why Work With Us
We believe that each unique team member fuels the creativity necessary to build the world’s best propulsion systems. This is realized as a deeply held commitment to celebrating individuality, hiring talent across all backgrounds and experiences, building a culture of inclusion, and constantly challenging ourselves to improve.
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Ursa Major Offices
OnSite Workspace
Most employees work on-site with some positions allowing hybrid and/or remote work.
