Company Overview
Metrea delivers effects-as-a-service to national security partners across five domains and more than a dozen mission areas. These include airborne ISR, electronic warfare, secure communications, aerial refueling, special air missions, aerial firefighting, and advanced simulation. We own the whole stack: designing, building, and operating turnkey capabilities that give our partners decisive, asymmetric advantage against rapidly evolving threats.
Our operating model is built around three interlocking pillars. The Support Groups provide a global shared-service – spanning people, finance, platform, operations, legal, and engagement. This frees up our Core Groups, who develop and own mission capabilities end-to-end, to focus entirely on delivery. The Market Groups apply a regional lens, ensuring that our agile and adaptable capabilities remain aligned to the wicked problems that matter most to our partners across the Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific.
At the heart of our model is a simple but powerful idea: be a true partner with skin in the game. Our partners need effects, not just equipment. By owning the full stack – from the lab to the field – we are able to drive a continuous cycle of innovation that keeps our partners ahead. It's a fast-moving, intellectually demanding environment where talented people are given real responsibility, work on problems that matter, and contribute to an enterprise that is growing quickly and deliberately.
Headquartered in Washington, DC, with facilities across the United States, the United Kingdom, as well as Continental Europe and Asia-Pacific.
Group Overview
Aerospace Engineering Group (AERO) provides an integrated, end-to-end capability for the rapid modification and fielding of mission-specific aircraft. The Airborne Asset Adaptation (A3) Cell acts as the central command and coordination hub, managing requirements and external interfaces from inception to operational delivery. Specialized technical execution is delivered by the Aircraft Integration Centre (AIC), a Part 145 facility focused on airframe modification, and Aerospace Design (ASD), which provides organic design engineering and FAA-authorized certification. Collectively, these elements bridge the gap between initial requirements and the deployment of flight-certified, mission-ready assets.
Position Summary
In the Structures Analyst role, you will analyze and substantiate aircraft structural modifications that enable special mission equipment integration across general aviation, business, transport, and military derivative aircraft. You will evaluate structural strength and durability, develop analysis models and calculations, and prepare substantiation reports supporting design decisions and certification. You will support major alterations and Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) projects involving the FAA and the Peregrine Organization Designation Authorization (ODA). You will work with design engineers, certification personnel, and installation teams to establish analysis requirements, resolve structural issues, and demonstrate compliance with the applicable project certification basis.
What You'll Do
- Review customer requirements, aircraft drawings, installation concepts, and certification requirements to define structural analysis scope, assumptions, and required substantiation
- Establish applicable load cases and load paths with design and certification teams, including inertial, aerodynamic, pressurization, and ground loads as relevant to the modification
- Perform classical hand calculations and finite element analysis (FEA) of equipment supports, joints, fasteners, sheet metal and machined parts, sandwich panels, and affected aircraft structure
- Evaluate stresses, deflections, joint loads, yielding, ultimate strength, and buckling; select and document material allowables, factors, failure criteria, and margins of safety
- Develop and verify finite element models, documenting idealization, mesh convergence, boundary conditions, and load application. Check results against independent calculations and available test data
- Assess fatigue and damage-tolerance implications where applicable. Perform analyses within demonstrated competence and coordinate specialist support for work outside that scope
- Prepare configuration-controlled structural substantiation reports documenting methods, inputs, assumptions, results, limitations, and compliance conclusions for technical review and approval
- Recommend design changes, assess installation deviations and engineering changes, and support structural test plans, test-data evaluation, and resolution of analysis-to-test discrepancies
- Participate in aircraft surveys and design reviews; coordinate with FAA and ODA personnel through established project channels; and resolve technical review comments and maintain analysis traceability
What You Bring
- Experience with special mission aircraft modifications, equipment racks, mounting provisions, and structural integration of mission systems
- Experience supporting major alterations or STC projects in coordination with FAA or ODA certification personnel
- Familiarity with structural substantiation documentation, aircraft certification requirements, and configuration-controlled technical data packages
- Working knowledge of aircraft structural design fundamentals, sheet metal and machined-part fabrication, materials, fasteners, and corrosion protection
- Ability to interpret aircraft drawings and technical data and translate survey information into accurate, buildable designs
- Ability to prepare clear engineering documentation and communicate effectively with engineers, technicians, project managers, and customers
- Ability to manage concurrent assignments, identify technical risks, and seek clarification or escalate issues when needed
- At least two years of relevant aircraft structural stress analysis experience, including substantiation of aircraft components, equipment installations, or modifications
- Working proficiency with an engineering finite element solver and pre/post-processing tools, with the ability to explain modeling choices and independently check results
- Working knowledge of statics, strength of materials, structural mechanics, aircraft load paths, metallic material behavior, joint analysis, and structural stability
- Ability to perform classical stress calculations, select appropriate material allowables, and calculate and interpret margins of safety for relevant failure modes
- Ability to interpret aircraft drawings and 3D models and document analysis assumptions, methods, results, and limitations in clear technical reports
- Ability to work with design engineers and certification personnel, manage concurrent assignments, and identify and escalate technical risks or missing data
- Proficiency with engineering calculation tools, such as Mathcad or controlled Excel worksheets, and Microsoft Office applications
Additional Eligibility Qualifications
- Experience substantiating special mission aircraft modifications, equipment racks, mounting provisions, and changes to existing airframe structure
- Experience preparing structural compliance reports for major alterations or STC projects involving FAA, ODA, or delegated engineering review
- Experience with fatigue and damage-tolerance methods, vibration or modal analysis, or structural test planning and correlation
- Experience analyzing honeycomb sandwich panels, bonded joints, or composite structures, and applying recognized aircraft structural analysis methods and material allowables
- Familiarity with SolidWorks or similar CAD tools, configuration management, and scripting or automation of repeatable analysis tasks
Benefits
- Comprehensive medical plan options
- HSA/FSA accounts
- Dental and vision coverage
- 6% employer 401(k) match
- Fully paid parental leave for all new parents
- Generous PTO
- Life and disability insurance
- Long-term and Short-term disability coverage
- AD&D Coverage
- Pet Insurance
- Employee Assistance Program
- Subsided gym membership / plans through Wellhub
Work Authorization / Security Clearance
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Must be a U.S. citizen. No security clearance required.
AAP/EEO Statement
This Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status or other characteristics protected by law.
Position Type and Expected Hours of Work
This is a full-time exempt position with typical working hours of Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Hours and work shifts may change in accordance with department and business needs. Exempt Employees must have the ability to be on-call and available, as business needs require.
Work Environment
This job operates in an office setting .
Travel
Travel requirements are less than 20%. Our Firmware
At Metrea, our single core value is Rooted in Humility, and our four cornerstone attributes are Entrepreneurial, Systematic, Discerning, and Over-Deliver. These form what we call our Teammate Firmware. Just like technical firmware connects software and hardware, our Firmware is the constant interface between our mission and our people. It defines how we show up, how we work together, and how we solve complex problems.
Our team Firmware creates a web-like, hyper-collaborative, dynamically hierarchical way of working that helps us adapt quickly, communicate openly, and distribute decision-making to where expertise actually lives. It enables groups to self-organize around hard problems, shift fluidly as priorities evolve, and operate with the trust, curiosity, and discipline required in a complex mission space. This foundation allows us to deliver elegant, effective solutions and uphold our purpose: protecting our precious inheritance.