Freelance Aerospace Structural Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Location: Newport News, VA
Job Type: Contract-to-Hire
Starting Pay: $55.00/hour (Higher pay available based on experience)

Seeking an experienced Aerospace Structural Engineer to support aircraft modifications, repairs, integration, and certification programs. This role focuses on structural analysis, engineering substantiation, and technical documentation to verify aircraft structures and mechanical installations meet strength, stiffness, fatigue, damage tolerance, and airworthiness requirements.

The engineer will work with design, mechanical, electrical, certification, production, quality, and external teams to evaluate structural designs, identify risks, and support fabrication, installation, testing, and certification activities.

• Perform structural analyses for aircraft modifications, repairs, mechanical systems, and aerospace products.
• Evaluate static strength, fatigue, damage tolerance, vibration, thermal, and other structural requirements.
• Develop load paths, free-body diagrams, analytical models, and engineering assumptions.
• Prepare stress reports, engineering reports, margin of safety calculations, compliance documentation, and substantiation packages.
• Review drawings, designs, and proposed modifications for structural integrity, manufacturability, maintainability, and compliance.
• Support certification documentation, compliance substantiation, test plans, and regulatory approval activities.
• Provide engineering support during fabrication, assembly, installation, troubleshooting, ground testing, and flight-test activities.
• Work with Mechanical Engineering, Design, Electrical, Certification, Production, Quality, customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders to resolve structural issues.
• Participate in design reviews and provide recommendations related to safety, performance, reliability, maintainability, and structural integrity.
• Maintain engineering analyses and documentation under configuration control.
• Support improvements to engineering methods, design standards, and lessons learned.

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related engineering discipline from an accredited college or university.
• Experience performing structural analysis and engineering substantiation for aircraft structures, mechanical systems, or aerospace products.
• Strong knowledge of structural mechanics, materials, fatigue, damage tolerance, vibration, FEA, classical hand calculations, and engineering evaluation methods.
• Experience preparing stress analyses, engineering reports, margin of safety calculations, and compliance documentation.
• Experience with engineering analysis software such as ANSYS, FEMAP, NASTRAN, Abaqus, Mathcad, or equivalent.
• Familiarity with aerospace materials, manufacturing processes, fastener systems, composite structures, and aircraft structural repair practices.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings and technical data.
• Strong analytical, organizational, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office.
• Ability to work in both office and aircraft hangar environments.
• U.S. Citizenship or Permanent Resident status required.

• 5+ years supporting aircraft modification, repair, integration, or aerospace product development programs.
• Experience with FAA certification, STC programs, military airworthiness, or other regulated aerospace projects.
• Familiarity with MIL-HDBK-516C and military aircraft modification programs.
• Experience with structural static strength, fatigue, damage tolerance, vibration, thermal, or finite element analysis.
• Experience preparing certification packages, compliance documentation, test plans, and technical reports.
• Experience working with DERs, FAA representatives, OEMs, customers, suppliers, or certification authorities.
• Experience supporting aircraft production, modification, installation, ground testing, or flight testing.
• Knowledge of configuration management, engineering release processes, and AS9100 quality systems.