THE TEAM & PURPOSE

The Virgin Hyperloop One Pod team is responsible for designing and delivering the vehicle in which all hyperloop passengers will travel. The Pod team has primary ownership of the vehicle structures, thermal management systems, interior, and environmental control and life support systems. We’re a multidisciplinary, cross-functional team that designs and integrates numerous systems across the pod. The pod must provide for a rapid, secure, and highly-reliable interface with the portal to facilitate seamless passenger egress and ingress. Design and development of this system and the surrounding structures are critical to the success of a highly functional hyperloop system.

THE ROLE:

The Senior Design Engineer - Structures will be responsible for:

• Designing the structural assemblies and mechanisms to allow the Pod to dock with the station, including the door structure, latches, travel mechanisms, and control system.
• Defining critical fuselage and door loads then sizing the structures to support them.
• Understanding potential failure modes of doors, docks, and associated structures, and building models to predict system reliability.
• Planning and executing development testing of Pod docking mechanisms and structures.
• Meeting subsystem reliability targets in support of overall system up-time objectives.
• Identifying root causes of failure; driving component and assembly rework to ensure functionality.
• Interfacing with the embedded controls team to integrate actuated assemblies. Specifying and sourcing sensors and actuators.
• Interfacing with the Hyperstructures team to negotiate and establish interfaces with wayside structures.

THE CANDIDATE:

A strong candidate will have:

• The ability to thrive within an environment where many things are not yet well-defined, and drive creation of that definition.
• The initiative, flexibility, and breadth of skill to step up where help is needed.
• The pragmatism to focus efforts on high-yield approaches.
• The personality to deal effectively with vendors and partners supplying critical elements of the assembly.
• The tenacity to iterate designs until they meet performance and reliability targets.
• The ability to learn new approaches and apply lessons from related fields to push the boundaries of capability.
• The affinity for empirical development necessary to succeed at a problem that can’t be solved by theory alone.

 Candidates who also relate to these values are highly encouraged to apply:

•  Accountability: Trustworthy and straightforward, you live by your handshake
• Audaciousness: Passionate and bold, you are fearless about speaking up
• Curiosity: You are inquisitive, challenging assumptions and asking “why”
• Get Sh*t Done: The ultimate doer, you are a maker, builder, tinkerer
• Grit: Ambitious and tenacious, you are driven and determined to succeed despite challenges
• Integrity: Honest and ethical, you promote transparency and fairness

MINIMUM REQUIRED EXPERIENCE:

• B.S. in Aerospace, Mechanical, or Structural Engineering, or other relevant technical field
• Design of critical load bearing structures
• Design of actuated electro-mechanical assemblies (e.g. involving rotary or linear motors, lead or ball screws, load transfer latches, instrumentation and control)
• Understanding of the limitations of position sensing and control
• Working familiarity with Finite Element Analysis (common constraints and load types and their behavior, a strong sense for good approximations of physical situations, basic meshing)
• Expert-level skill in at least one CAD package, strong working knowledge of GD&T
• Strong knowledge of mechanics of materials (stress, strain, stiffness, torsion, bending, buckling, structural shapes)
• Knowledge of general structural materials (carbon and alloy steels, aluminum,)
• Knowledge of attachments and joints (grades of bolts and screws, pins, welding)

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE:

• M.S. in Aerospace or Mechanical with a focus on alignment, docking, or airlocks
• Experience with aviation or spacecraft door/docking structures and mechanisms
• Experience with large actuated doors or valves
• Expertise in exact constraint
• Expertise in sealing of vacuum systems
• Encyclopedic knowledge of GD&T
• Deep experience with machining or grinding of large, precision surfaces
• Experience in taking a design from conceptual design to production

Hyperloop One is an Equal Employment Employer; employment is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other protected status. Hyperloop One will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with the “Ban the Box” legislation. We may access publicly available information as part of your application. For full information on how your personal information will be stored and processed, please click here.

To all recruitment agencies: Virgin Hyperloop One does not accept unsolicited agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, Virgin Hyperloop One employees or any other company location. Virgin Hyperloop One is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.