NCSG Aerospace Structural Engineering Intern (Summer 2027)

company

Our Why

At Collier Aerospace, our mission is to help our customers reach their unique structural analysis and design goals with more accurate results in less time. We are a team of passionate employees who want to contribute to each customer's goal in the best way possible across space launch, reusable rocket, commercial airframe, business jet, eVTOL, bike frame, and speed boat applications. We accomplish this with our leading software, HyperX, through software development and engineering support. As you join our team, you join our company mission and become an integral partner in increasing efficiency and innovation throughout the world.

Our Culture

We foster a highly supportive and collaborative environment where our meetings are a mix of brainstorming, analysis, and humor. When you’re stuck, our employees are always eager to lend a helping hand. We offer a relaxed and casual dress code to promote a comfortable atmosphere. Our passion and drive fuel us as we strive to make a lasting impact on our company, customers, and industry.

role

The NCSG Internship Program is a collaborative summer internship sponsored by the North Carolina Space Grant and Collier Aerospace. We are seeking motivated and eager North Carolina State college students to join our NCSG Intern cohort. During this internship, you will gain hands-on experience on current industry aircraft designs, and learn to apply theoretical concepts to real-world scenarios. You will be mentored by one of our engineering service project leads, and learn from other talented engineers. Join passionate coworkers, learn industry-standard tools and methods, and make your mark as we continue to grow in the aerospace and software industry!

Required Qualifications

Candidates should have experience in performing structural analysis and design. The candidates should have many of the following capabilities:

- US citizen (required)
- In-progress bachelor’s degree in one of the following engineering disciplines;
- Aerospace engineering
- Mechanical engineering
- Civil engineering

- Desired course work:
- Statics (required)
- Strength of materials
- Composites
- Finite element analysis (FEA)

- Capability to perform structural analysis and design with metal and/or composite materials
- Experience performing classical stress analysis, using ‘closed-form’ methods from textbooks (Bruhn, Niu, Roark, etc.)
- Experience with finite element analysis (FEA) and CAD software (CATIA or Solidworks) is a plus
- Basic knowledge of structural failure modes, including: material strength, buckling, crippling, etc.
- Strong documentation, communication, and presentation skills

Roles and Responsibilities

- Learn and apply HyperX® (and other industry-standard CAE software) for preliminary and detail analysis/design sizing optimization of full airframe and space vehicles.
- Perform trade studies for weight savings and part producibility. Perform both preliminary and detail design and analysis. Document design and analyses results.
- Candidates will be reporting sizing/analysis results to industry OEM customers and must be able to verify and describe the application of external loadings and their resolution into critical internal mechanical and thermal load paths, and to the resulting optimum design and their margins of safety.
- Ensure project issues are resolved in a timely fashion with your related experience and competence and an ability to create workaround procedures when needed. Escalate urgent problems requiring more in-depth knowledge to appropriate engineering leads.

Why Collier Aerospace?

- Jump-start your career by working closely with experienced aerospace engineers.
- Gain exposure to real-world aircraft and spacecraft designs across commercial, defense, and space sectors.
- Small company – provides opportunity for involvement in many aspects of the business and gain many new hard and soft skills.
- Casual work environment