Loads Engineer - Weapon Performance IV/V

At Zone 5 Technologies, we're redefining what's possible in unmanned aircraft systems. Our team of engineers and innovators is developing cutting-edge autonomous solutions that push the boundaries of UAS technology - solving complex challenges that matter. We're building the future of UAS capabilities, and we're looking for exceptional talent to join us. If you're driven by hard problems, energized by rapid innovation, and ready to make an impact on next-generation flight systems, you belong here. We are seeking an experienced Analysis, Loads, and Dynamics Engineer to join our Weapons Performance team. This isn't a standard mechanical engineering role: you will lead deeper, system-level and system-wide structural analysis grounded in complex numerical simulation for Zone 5's air-launched effects, tactical interceptors, and next-generation munitions — assembling full-vehicle models for loads and vibration analysis, performing MIL-STD-8591 store carriage and separation loads analysis, and validating those models through ground testing — from early concept through qualification and fielded performance. We're looking for an engineer with an entrepreneurial mindset: someone who takes personal responsibility for the success of the systems they help build and has a bias toward action. You will work with the Weapons Performance team's manager to help set technical direction for loads and dynamics, and partner closely with Structures, Aerodynamics, Propulsion, GNC, and Systems Engineering to ensure our systems perform reliably under demanding launch, flight, and terminal conditions. Responsibilities: Assemble and maintain full-vehicle structural models to perform loads and vibration analysis, capturing mass, stiffness, and structural dynamic characteristics across flight and ground environments. Perform MIL-STD-8591-type store carriage, suspension, and separation loads analysis for air-launched effects, interceptors, and munitions integrated on host aircraft. Guide ground testing — modal survey, ground vibration testing, and static load testing — to validate and correlate structural and loads models against test data. Work with the Weapons Performance team to establish shared loads and dynamics methods, and document the procedures and processes used for model development, correlation, and reporting. Support aeroelastic analysis (flutter and dynamic aeroelastic response) and structural modeling to characterize vehicle structural margins across the flight envelope. Collaborate with Structures, Aerodynamics, Propulsion, GNC, and Systems Engineering to integrate loads and dynamics results into vehicle-level design and sizing decisions. Conduct trade studies and sensitivity analyses on structural and dynamic design parameters to inform conceptual and preliminary design decisions. Generate technical reports, presentations, and documentation of analysis results — including at formal design reviews (PDR, CDR) — and maintain…