Structural Engineer

Role details

Job title: Structural Engineer

Location: Menlo Park, CA

Full-time

Ideal candidate

• 3+ years of relevant structural, mechanical, marine, naval architecture, or closely related engineering experience. Candidates with greater experience are encouraged to apply.
• Demonstrated end-to-end ownership of physical hardware, from structural design through fabrication, integration, test, and iteration.
• Hands-on experience designing mechanically loaded structures or assemblies, ideally for vessels or other demanding vehicle or hardware environments.
• Experience with FRP composites or other lightweight structures, including an understanding of manufacturing methods, structural behavior, and failure modes.
• Strong structural-analysis judgment across load paths, stress and strain, bending, shear, torsion, buckling, fatigue, shock, impact, and material behavior.
• Ability to use first-principles calculations and appropriate analysis methods to make timely engineering decisions.
• Working experience with FEA. We are tool-agnostic and welcome experience with ANSYS, Abaqus, Nastran, FEMAP, SolidWorks Simulation, or comparable platforms.
• Ability to interpret and create engineering drawings and CAD models, with sound judgment around materials, manufacturability, maintainability, installation, weight, and cost.
• Comfort spending significant time in the shop and test environment, including fabrication oversight, prototype assembly, troubleshooting, and sea trials.
• Ability to operate with high ownership, rapid deadlines, limited process, and ambiguity in an early-stage hardware environment.
• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Naval Architecture, Marine Engineering, Civil/Structural Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent demonstrated technical experience.

Relevant Experience

• Marine vessel, USV/ASV, boatbuilding, small-craft, yacht, naval, or defense structural design.
• Composite laminate design, composite failure analysis, FRP fabrication, or hands-on composite build oversight.
• Marine load cases such as slam, impact, shock, fatigue, and real-world worn or loaded operating states.
• Weight-optimized structures, weight and center-of-gravity management, or coordination of stability-related structural inputs.
• SolidWorks CAD familiarity, GD&T, structural DFM, bonded or mechanically fastened joints, and welded or bolted metallic structures.
• Direct work with machine shops, welders, composite fabricators, shipyards, suppliers, or manufacturing partners.
• Prototype integration, structural testing, root-cause investigation, field operations, or sea trials.
• Experience in adjacent hands-on environments such as autonomous vehicles, robotics, aerospace, motorsports, heavy equipment, or other mechanically demanding systems. Marine experience is preferred, but strong hardware ownership and structural design judgment can transfer.