Thermal/Stress Analyst

About the Role

Leidos Defense is seeking a Lead Thermal/Stress Analyst to join their team in Huntsville, Alabama, designing and analyzing next-generation defense systems.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform stress and thermal analysis on structural, electronic, and mechanical systems, supporting critical test activities.
• Conduct stress analysis using analytical methods, finite element models/simulations, and advanced analysis tools.
• Produce models, perform calculations, reduce data, and correlate test results.
• Conduct thermal analysis using hand analysis methods, finite volume models/simulations, finite element models/simulations, finite difference models/simulations, and other tools.
• Perform detailed steady-state and/or transient thermal analyses using industry-standard programs.
• Produce models, perform calculations, reduce data, and correlate test results to thermal and flow models.
• Collaborate closely with design and manufacturing teams to meet performance, manufacturability, and schedule requirements.
• Work alongside production and testing teams to install hardware, verify requirements, and put hardware into action.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Stress Analysis: Analytical methods, finite element models/simulations, advanced analysis tools.
• Thermal Analysis: Hand analysis methods, finite volume models/simulations, finite element models/simulations, finite difference models/simulations, other tools.
• Collaboration: Designers, production team, testing team.
• Tools: Star CCM+, FEMAP.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent from an ABET-accredited university.
• Direct experience performing stress and thermal analysis in the aerospace or defense industry.
• Demonstrated experience with commercial finite element analysis tools such as FEMAP/NX NASTRAN, PATRAN/MSC NASTRAN, ANSYS, Abaqus, or similar software.
• Proven working knowledge of commercial thermal analysis and CFD tools like STAR-CCM+, Thermal Desktop/SindaFluint, ANSYS, or SolidWorks FlowSimulation.
• Strong technical writing, presentation, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Proven ability to thrive in a collaborative, multi-disciplinary engineering environment.
• Capable of working as part of a larger analysis team or as the sole analyst on a project.
• U.S. Citizenship is required and eligibility to obtain and maintain a Final Secret Clearance.
• Residency in the Huntsville, AL area or willingness to relocate to Huntsville, AL.

Preferred Qualifications

• Fluid lumped capacitance modeling
• Electronics cooling analysis
• Thermal analysis of orthotropic materials
• FEMAP/Nastran
• Coupled thermal-structural analysis
• Bolted joint and weld analysis
• Dynamics analysis (modal, response spectrum, shock, vibration)
• Fatigue analysis
• Composite materials