Stress Engineer – Pressure Vessels

What You'll Do

• Lead the structural sizing and stress analysis of rocket motor pressure structures, including metallic and composite motor cases and pressure-loaded components.
• Perform analytical and numerical stress analyses (linear, nonlinear, buckling, fatigue, fracture, and damage tolerance) for high-pressure, high-temperature environments.
• Define and manage load cases and environments relevant to rocket motor operation, including internal pressure, thermal gradients, mechanical loads, ignition transients, and dynamic effects.
• Develop and apply analysis methodologies for composite motor structures, including laminate theory, failure criteria, and appropriate knockdown factors.
• Support material selection and structural concepts with focus on mass efficiency, strength, thermal compatibility, and manufacturability.
• Ensure designs meet required safety factors, margins, and internal or applicable aerospace standards for pressure-loaded rocket hardware.
• Support and interpret structural testing (e.g. proof, burst, cyclic or hot-fire–related testing) and correlate analytical predictions with test data.
• Participate in and lead stress reviews, providing clear justification of assumptions, margins, and trade-offs.
• Collaborate closely with propulsion, materials, manufacturing, and systems teams to ensure structurally sound and producible rocket motor designs.
• Author and review stress reports, analysis documentation, and verification evidence.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to the continuous improvement of structural analysis methods and tools.

• What You’ll Need
• MSc. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 5+ years of experience in stress or structural analysis of pressure-loaded aerospace components.
• Experience with rocket motor structures (e.g. motor cases or similar pressure-loaded propulsion hardware) is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated experience with metallic and composite pressure structures.
• Strong proficiency in FEA tools (ANSYS, Abaqus, Nastran, or equivalent) and classical hand calculations.
• Solid understanding of composite materials, laminate theory, and composite failure criteria.
• Experience supporting structural testing and analysis correlation.
• Familiarity with aerospace structural design practices and safety margins for high-energy systems.
• Ability to take technical ownership and work independently on complex structural problems.
• Strong communication skills and ability to clearly present analysis results.
• Fluency in English required;
  German is a plus.