UAV Robotics Engineer

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory - Laurel, MD

Full-time - Mid Level

Laurel, MD

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

About the position

As an Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Robotics Engineer at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, you will be part of a dedicated team focused on developing advanced systems for our nation's warfighters. This role involves a blend of mechanical engineering and design work, where you will be responsible for conceiving, designing, modeling, fabricating, integrating, and testing a variety of UAV systems and payloads. You will lead hands-on mechanical engineering projects, collaborating with a diverse team of engineers and technicians to turn conceptual designs into reality. Your work will include designing mechanical systems using Computer Aided Design (CAD) tools such as SolidWorks and Creo Parametric, and serving as a subject matter expert in UAV technologies. You will analyze and test complex mechanical systems, fabricating and integrating hardware onto experimental and prototype UAV systems for rigorous test and evaluation. Field testing will be a key component of your responsibilities, requiring you to develop test plans, conduct tests, and prepare technical documentation of results. You will also prepare for and conduct periodic design reviews and create technical reports for presentation to various stakeholders, including government agencies. Collaboration is essential in this role, as you will work closely with electrical engineers, systems engineers, software engineers, fabrication shops, and external vendors to ensure that project requirements and deadlines are met. This position offers a unique opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge UAV technology while supporting both local and remote field testing, which may require travel 5-10% of the time.

Responsibilities

• Leading hands-on mechanical engineering projects with a diverse team of engineers and technicians.
• Designing mechanical systems using Computer Aided Design (CAD) and other modeling/design tools as needed (i.e., Solidworks, Creo Parametric, ANSYS).
• Serving as one of the UAV subject matter experts for a research laboratory.
• Analyzing and testing complex mechanical systems.
• Fabricating, assembling and integrating hardware onto experimental and prototype UAV systems for test and evaluation.
• Working with a team to conduct both local and remote field testing of UAV systems.
• Developing test plans, conducting tests and preparing technical documentation of test results.
• Preparing for and conducting periodic design reviews, as well as technical reports and other briefing materials, for presentation to all levels of staff and Government agencies.
• Working closely with APL electrical engineers, systems engineers, software engineers, fabrication shops and external vendors to ensure project requirements and deadlines are met.

Requirements

• BS degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineering, Robotics or related field.
• 5 or more years of relevant experience designing, fabricating, integrating, testing and/or operating UAV airframes.
• Experience with CAD (i.e., SolidWorks, CREO) and an understanding of how to design components for various manufacturing processes.
• Demonstrated initiative and ability to multi-task in a fast-paced work environment with tight delivery schedules on diverse systems that operate on land, sea, or air.
• Ability to work both independently and in groups to meet deadlines and deliver results.
• Willingness to support both local and remote field testing 5-10% of the time.
• Ability to quickly learn and develop new skills to support novel engineering efforts.
• Experience with taking a system through the life-cycle process, from concept design to system delivery.
• Effective communication skills, both orally and in writing, with other engineers, scientists, and technicians as a member of a multidisciplinary team.
• Ability to obtain an Interim Secret level security clearance by your start date and can ultimately obtain a Secret level clearance.

Nice-to-haves

• MS or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineering, Robotics or related field.
• Current FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate and experience with manually piloting fixed wing, helicopter, multirotor or VTOL UAVs.
• Five or more years of experience designing, modeling, and integrating fixed wing, helicopter, multirotor or VTOL UAV airframes.
• Experience with integrating, tuning and operating open-source UAV autopilot firmware (i.e., ArduPilot, PX4, iNav, Betaflight) or other open-source UAV firmware.
• Experience with small UAV electronics and sensors (flight controllers, ESCs, IMUs, GPS receivers, EO/IR cameras, etc.).
• Experience with stress or thermal analysis using finite element software packages (i.e., ANSYS, COMSOL) or physics-based computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software.
• Experience with MATLAB, Python, C++, ROS or related software packages.
• Experience with rapid prototyping and manufacturing of experimental prototype systems.
• An active secret security clearance.

Benefits

• Robust education assistance program
• Unparalleled retirement contributions
• Healthy work/life balance