Aerostructure Designer

Aerostructure (Airframe) Designer – Missionized Aircraft

The Aerostructure Designer focuses on the design, integration, and modification of aircraft primary and secondary structures to support the conversion of green (baseline) aircraft into missionized configurations. The successful candidate will develop detailed design solutions, interface with multidisciplinary teams, and ensure that all airframe modifications meet structural integrity, manufacturability, and certification requirements.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design and develop structural modifications and installations for mission equipment, antennas, sensors, and payload systems.
• Create and update 3D models, assemblies, and detailed drawings usingCATIA V5/V6, ensuring adherence to aerospace standards and best practices.
• Integrate mission systems or structural modifications into the aircraft primary structure while maintaining load paths, weight balance, and structural efficiency.
• Perform preliminary structural analyses and coordinate with stress and loads teams to validate design integrity.
• Develop conceptual and detailed design layouts for fuselage, wing, empennage, and internal structure modifications.
• Ensure all designs comply with airworthiness, certification, and customer-specific requirements.
• Collaborate with manufacturing, methods, and installation teams to ensure designs are producible, maintainable, and cost-effective.
• Support design reviews, configuration control, and engineering change management activities.
• Interface with suppliers and partners for the development and validation of mission-specific structural components.
• Provide on-site engineering support during aircraft modification and installation phases.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degreein Aerospace, Mechanical, or Structural Engineering.
• 8-10+ years of experiencein airframe design for commercial or military aircraft.
• 15,000–20,000 hours of CATIA(V5 or V6) experience in part, product, and assembly design.
• Strong understanding ofaircraft primary structures, load paths, joints, and material behaviors (metallic and composite).
• Proven ability to design and integratemissionized systemsinto existing aircraft configurations.
• Familiarity withaircraft certification standards(FAR/CS 23, 25, or military equivalents).
• Excellent knowledge of GD&T, configuration management, and PLM environments (e.g., ENOVIA, SmarTeam).
• Strong teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience withspecial mission or ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance)aircraft modifications.
• Familiarity withcomposite structure designand integration.
• Previous involvement insupplemental type certificate (STC)programs or modification centers.
• Experience working in close collaboration withOEMs and mission system integrators