Flight Systems Futures Sr Principal Mechanical Engineer (Top Secret Clearance) 19017
$111,700–$167,500 year
On-siteRoy, Utah, United States
Job Summary
Define and maintain the overall mechanical layout for hypersonic re-entry vehicles and major subsystems, including structures, thermal protection hardware, mechanisms, and payload integration. Coordinate mass properties, interfaces, and maintainability across configurations while overseeing the creation and release of 3D models and drawings. Resolve mechanical integration issues between aerothermal, propulsion, and avionics disciplines, and flow down system requirements into clear mechanical design criteria. Collaborate with manufacturing to ensure designs are producible and support build and integration on the factory floor, providing technical direction to suppliers. Plan and coordinate mechanical engineering work across the team, reviewing design work products to ensure consistency with program standards. Mentor junior engineers and foster communication across cross-functional disciplines.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related STEM field
- Minimum of 8 years of relevant experience
- US Citizen
- Active Top Secret clearance at time of application, current and within scope, renewed or initiated within the last 6 years
- Must be able to be successfully screened for Enhanced Security Clearances
- 5+ years of relevant structural analysis or design experience
- 3+ years experience performing finite element analysis (FEA) of metallic and/or composite structures using industry tools (e.g., NASTRAN, Abaqus, ANSYS, or similar)
- 3+ years experience generating and checking stress reports, margins of safety, and load paths for primary and secondary structures
- 3+ years experience of classical hand calculations (beam/plate theory, bolted and bonded joints, stability, fatigue/fracture basics) to complement FEA
- 3+ years experience interpreting loads and environments (aero/thermal/pressure/inertial) and applying them appropriately in structural models
- 3+ years experience performing air vehicle dynamic structural assessments (Shock and Vibe)
- 3+ years experience with systems packaging, sizing, and weight tradeoffs and analysis
- 5+ years experience with CAD and pre/post-processing tools (e.g., NX, CATIA, Creo, HyperMesh, Femap, or similar)
- Demonstrated ability to document technical work clearly and present results to a cross-functional team (structures, aero, TPS, systems)
- Willing to travel up to 25% of the time
Desired Qualifications
- Experience on hypersonic, high-speed, or reentry vehicle programs, or similarly demanding environments (missiles, launch vehicles, spacecraft)
- Experience with: Thermal–structural coupling (applying aerothermal/TPS temperatures in structural models, assessing thermal stresses)
- Nonlinear analysis (geometric and/or material nonlinearity, contact, large deflection)
- Fatigue and fracture mechanics for mission profiles with significant thermal or dynamic loading
- Familiarity with high-temperature materials and TPS-support structures (e.g., CMCs, high-temperature alloys, advanced composites)
- Experience supporting structural test (component, subassembly, or system level): test planning, instrumentation input, predicting test response, and correlating models to data
- Experience with requirements and verification: writing structural requirements, defining verification methods, and maintaining traceability
- Scripting or automation skills (e.g., Python, MATLAB, or similar) for model setup, post-processing, and data reduction
- Experience working in a configuration-controlled environment with formal design reviews (PDR/CDR) and change management
- Knowledge of Hypersonic Reentry Vehicle systems, environments, and typical structural tests and assessments
- Knowledge of Launch Vehicle interfaces and environments
- Knowledge of advanced materials and manufacturing processes
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