Structures Engineer, Aerospace & Defense (All Levels)

Location

Los Angeles, CA

Wage

$100,980 – $247,005/yr

Employment Type

Full-time

Apply for This Position

Posted on September 16, 2026

Job Description

Overview

Divergent is a company focused on revolutionizing industrial manufacturing in the aerospace and defense industries through innovative technology. They are seeking a skilled Structures Engineer to support the development of advanced aerospace vehicle structures using new materials and technologies.

Responsibilities

  • Create and manage CAD designs of the components and BOM structure.
  • Build and analyze FE Models of Node™-based vehicle structures, including validation and optimization.
  • Present design summaries and reports at meetings and to relevant engineers or external parties.
  • Create, refine, and execute new technical solutions for automotive structures.
  • Collaborate within the DAPS Product Engineering team and cross-functionally to design and release optimized structures.
  • Implement cost reduction methods and support prototype and production build activities.
  • Maintain technical documentation, including best practices and lessons learned.
  • Support vehicle builds and product development testing and troubleshooting.

Requirements

  • Ability to lawfully access information and technology subject to US export controls.
  • BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent.
  • Experience in structure design.
  • CAD experience creating detailed models; Siemens NX is a plus.
  • PLM experience; Teamcenter is a plus.
  • Experience in structural analysis.
  • Experience with analysis software packages such as Nastran, Optistruct, and/or LS-Dyna.
  • Solid understanding of linear/nonlinear behaviors of advanced materials.
  • Experience with aerospace load applications and MIL-STDs.
  • Outstanding comprehension of solid mechanics.
  • Solid interpersonal skills and motivated self-starter.

Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • PTO

Additional Information

  • Work is performed in an office environment.

Benefits

Health Insurance
PTO

How this job compares in Los Angeles, CA

Pay in context

At roughly $84/hr, this posting sits about 95% above the $43/hr median for welding jobs in Los Angeles, CA — toward the top of a $34–$60/hr middle band drawn from 61 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 97% of the comparable postings we have wage data for. Pay that far above local median usually comes attached to something: a harder cert requirement, travel, night shift, or overtime that isn't really optional. Worth establishing which before you accept.

The local market in Los Angeles, CA

We're tracking 84 other active welding openings in Los Angeles, CA right now, from 58 different employers. 23 of them were added in the last week. Across California as a whole we're tracking 574 other active welding openings from 266 employers. A metro this active generally means you have real leverage — employers here are competing for the same welders. Browse every welding job in Los Angeles, or widen the search to California.

The most active employers in California at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are SpaceX (34), Vast (22), and Relativity Space (20). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Within California, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are Redondo Beach at $71/hr, Long Beach at $54/hr, and Torrance at $43/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

Similar openings near Los Angeles, CA

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Structures Engineer, Aerospace & Defense (All Levels) figures were last recalculated when this page was built.