Principal Mechanical Engineer

$93,000 - $139,600/Yr

Unclassified - Baltimore, MD

Full-time - Mid Level

Baltimore, MD

About the position

At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage, and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity, and bringing your whole self to work - and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history. Northrop Grumman Mission Systems (NGMS) Flight Test Department is seeking a Principal Mechanical Engineer to join our team at our facility co-located with the Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport. Our team is a unique organization within NGMS that provides the venue to flexibly showcase discriminating capabilities by taking the company's products from the lab to the airborne environment on a fleet of highly modified research and development aircraft. This business area provides the design, analysis, modification, integration, ground and flight testing, and airworthiness certification of various airborne mission system technologies onto crewed testbed aircraft. The Engineer will provide technical leadership to and interface with a multi-disciplined team, including other Engineers, Mechanics, Test Pilots, Quality Control, and Supply Chain. The chosen candidate should also be able to guide and mentor junior Engineers if required. The Engineer will perform a variety of engineering work including technical project management, design and analysis of aircraft repairs, and of the modifications that integrate sensors and equipment onto aircraft including antennae, radars/sensors, cameras, cabin workstations, and equipment racks. The Engineer will interface with the internal and external program offices, functional management, internal and external customers, as well as suppliers/vendors and subcontractors; and will maintain an active involvement in every step throughout the lifecycle once a project is initiated. FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) airworthiness requirements and certification is a significant aspect of all projects, and the ideal candidate will have experience with Title 14 CFR Part 25.

Responsibilities

• Managing the technical performance of aircraft modification and repair projects including project planning, cost and schedule estimation, risk management, manufacturing support, vendor selection and management, project staffing.
• Perform structural design and analysis of aircraft modifications and repairs.
• Create conceptual and detailed designs of primary and secondary aircraft structural components using 3D solid modeling.
• Perform detailed analysis of primary and secondary aircraft structure utilizing both classical hand calculations and finite element modeling/analysis (FEM/FEA).
• Write detailed structural substantiation reports and other technical reports as required to obtain FAA airworthiness approvals.
• Perform trade studies, requirements derivation, and establishing the overall aircraft configuration based on Customer requirements.
• Bill of material and data configuration management; fastener and material selection.
• Create, review and check engineering drawings, reports, and cost/schedule estimates for completeness and accuracy.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field from an accredited institution with 5 years of related experience; OR a Master of Science or Master of Engineering degree in Mechanical, Aerospace or related field with 3 years of related experience.
• Active DoD Secret security clearance (U.S. Citizenship required).
• Ability and experience creating 3D CAD models using Siemens NX or similar software.
• Ability and experience in performing airframe structural analysis via a combination of classical hand calculations and Finite Element Analysis tools such as Siemens NX CAE or similar/equivalent.
• Knowledge of and familiarity with Federal Aviation Administration aircraft certification requirements.
• Knowledge of and familiarity with a variety of aircraft manufacturing methods, including metallic and composite flight structures, aircraft fastening systems, etc.
• Proficient in aviation terminology with strong verbal and written communication.

Nice-to-haves

• Current FAA Part 23 and/or Part 25 Designated Engineering Representative (DER) in Structures.
• Ability and experience in developing aircraft modification data packages and supporting a project throughout the entire lifecycle from concept to flight activity.
• Prior design and analysis experience in solid laminate and sandwich composite structures for aircraft fairings and radomes.
• Ability to generate combined aerodynamic and inertial loads with an understanding of the results from Computations Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis.

Benefits

• Health insurance coverage
• Life and disability insurance
• Savings plan
• Company paid holidays
• Paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business