Flight Systems Futures Sr Principal Mechanical Engineer (Top Secret Clearance) 19017

***This position is contingent upon contract award***

The Flight Systems Futures operating unit within Strategic Deterrent Systems is seeking highly motivated talent to join a team at the forefront of next-generation hypersonic capabilities. Our team focuses on the design, development, and demonstration of hypersonic re-entry vehicles and advanced payloads, with an emphasis on rapid development and prototyping aligned to specific customer missions. We operate in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment where innovative concepts are matured quickly into credible, testable solutions that address our nation’s most demanding strategic deterrence needs.

• →Define and maintain the overall mechanical layout for the vehicle and major subsystems (structures, TPS hardware, mechanisms, payload, avionics packaging).
• →Coordinate mass properties, interfaces, access, and maintainability across the configuration.
• →Oversee creation and release of mechanical designs, 3D models, and drawings in collaboration with the design/drafting team.
• →Ensure interfaces between subsystems are clearly defined, controlled, and compatible (mechanical, thermal, alignment, envelope).
• →Resolve mechanical integration issues between aerothermal, TPS, structures, GNC, propulsion, and avionics.
• →Flow down system requirements into clear mechanical requirements, constraints, and design criteria (environments, loads, clearances, margins, materials).
• →Work with systems engineering to maintain requirements traceability and define mechanical verification methods (analysis, inspection, test).
• →Collaborate with manufacturing and operations to ensure designs are producible, testable, and supportable.
• →Support build and integration on the factory floor (build issues, nonconformance disposition, redlines).
• →Provide technical direction to mechanical suppliers (requirements, reviews, deviations, acceptance).
• →Plan and coordinate mechanical engineering work across a small team (tasking, priorities, schedules).
• →Review and approve design work products, ensuring consistency with program standards and best practices.
• →Mentor junior engineers and foster strong communication across disciplines and IPTs.

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related STEM field with
• Minimum of 8 years of relevant experience
• Must be a 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, within a reasonable amount of time as determined by the company to meet its business needs
• 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

• 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