Additive Manufacturing (AM) Technology Engineer (Senior Principal Engineer)

Solar Turbines•San Diego, CA

9d•$128,470 - $192,710•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Principal Engineer will advance additive manufacturing (AM) technology and support the development, design, and qualification of AM components. The role includes maturing technologies using a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) framework, identifying high-impact AM applications, addressing technical gaps and risks, and developing plans for technology maturation and qualification in development and production applications. The engineer will capture and share Design for Additive Manufacturing (DFAM) knowledge through documentation, training, mentoring, and technical consulting. The role also supports AM materials development, including metallurgical characterization and mechanical properties testing of commercially available and emerging alloys, and collaboration with internal and external partners to qualify new materials. Working with NPI leadership, product owners, and cross-functional development teams, the engineer evaluates design alternatives and tradeoffs, applies advanced mechanical design and analytical methods, resolves complex engineering challenges, and provides technical guidance across engineering, supply chain, and manufacturing. This position is onsite five days a week.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or another engineering discipline.
Demonstrated experience applying DFAM principles to the design, development, and qualification of new AM components.
Strong proficiency in 3D modeling and engineering analysis tools and methods, including Ansys, Space Claim, and Creo.
Experience with engineering drawings, BOM development using Windchill and Linked Data, and configuration management, including interpreting and applying analysis results to support design decisions.
Extensive experience with design, development, and qualification of turbomachinery components.
Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, product development, and design for manufacturability principles.
Demonstrated ability to work across disciplines to solve complex engineering and organizational challenges.
Ability to independently solve complex technical problems and provide technical leadership across functional boundaries.
Experience mentoring engineers and contributing to organizational technical capabilities.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills with technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

Extensive experience delivering technical presentations or speaking at industry conferences.
Strong record of documenting project results, including EDMs and research reports, and creating standard work documentation such as design manual contributions, work instructions, guidance notes, process maps, and KMS entries.
Strong written and verbal Spanish communication skills.

Responsibilities

Partner with NPI leadership, Product Owners, and development teams to identify high-impact AM applications that accelerate NPI activities, enhance product capabilities, and provide greater supply chain flexibility.
Lead technical evaluation of tradeoffs and design alternatives related to safety, performance, reliability, manufacturability, cost, serviceability, and risk for AM components.
Identify technical risks and develop mitigation strategies for AM technology development programs.
Develop detailed technology maturation and qualification plans for new AM components or technologies for development and production applications.
Communicate and collaborate with cross-functional teams to execute AM technology development projects.
Apply advanced mechanical design principles and analytical tools to support design decisions and resolve complex engineering challenges involving new AM components.
Provide AM-related technical guidance and mentorship to engineers, supply chain, and manufacturing personnel across experience levels.
Serve as a DFAM technical authority and resource, establishing engineering best practices and sharing lessons learned through training and mentoring.
Use the TRL framework to mature AM technologies, including qualification of new AM components, distortion prediction, low-angle printing strategies, advanced surface finishing, print parameter optimization, and process monitoring and quality assurance.
Document AM best practices in Solar KMS, design manuals, and EDM reports; lead periodic in-house training and support component design teams as an AM subject matter expert.
Support manufacturing, design, and field teams with root cause and corrective action activities; monitor industry and university AM advancements and identify promising technologies.
Support metallurgical characterization and mechanical properties testing of AM alloys, collaborate with partners to qualify new alloys, and help develop material properties design curves and qualify new AM components.