4– Motion Control and Avionics (Technical)

Northrop Grumman•Elkton, MD

12d•$98,900 - $185,000•Onsite

About The Position

Northrop Grumman is seeking a Principal or Sr. Principal Mechanical Engineer to lead detailed design and development of actuation and motion control hardware within our Propulsion Systems & Control (PS&C) business unit. This role sits on the Motion Controls team, which develops high-reliability, high-capability systems such as rocket motor nozzle vectoring mechanisms and controls, flight surface actuators, cold and hot gas valve / thruster actuation, and other critical motion control systems for space and defense applications. You will be the mechanical design lead or a key member of the design team – using CAD, analysis, standard work, and a fair amount of ingenuity to create robust, producible actuation hardware that meets demanding performance, cost, and schedule requirements. This role has a strong emphasis on electric motor and gearbox integration, thermal performance, and close collaboration with electrical engineering.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and 5+ years of relevant experience; OR Master’s degree in Engineering and 3+ years of relevant experience; OR PhD in Engineering and 1+ year of relevant experience (for Principal Mechanical Engineer - Level 3)
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and 8+ years of relevant experience; OR Master’s degree in Engineering and 6+ years of relevant experience; OR PhD in Engineering and 4+ years of relevant experience (for Sr. Principal Mechanical Engineer - Level 4)
Ability to obtain a Secret Clearance (U.S. Citizenship required)
Ability and willingness to travel as required (10–25%)

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated leadership of mechanical design for complex electro-mechanical systems (actuators, mechanisms, motion control hardware).
Strong experience with mechanical analysis (hand calculations and tools) for structural, kinematic, thermal, and life/fatigue problems.
Experience integrating mechanical designs with ECAD – boards, harnesses, connectors, sensors – in constrained, high-reliability environments.
Experience collaborating closely with systems engineering to interpret and flow down requirements and to plan verification.
Deep familiarity with electric motor and gearbox design and application (sizing, torque/speed behavior, thermal limits, duty cycles, efficiencies) in motion-control systems.
Active Secret (or higher) Security Clearance.
Proficiency with Siemens NX and Siemens Teamcenter Unified Architecture for CAD and configuration management.
Experience with structured failure analysis and risk management techniques (e.g., FMECA, risk registers, RCCA).
Experience supporting CAMs and project leads with credible technical inputs on scope, schedule, and estimate-to-complete for mechanical tasks.

Responsibilities

Own the mechanical design of actuators, mechanisms, and motion control hardware from concept through detailed design, release, and test.
Develop, iterate, and maintain 3D CAD models and drawings (Siemens NX), including GD&T, materials selection, and manufacturing details.
Perform or lead mechanical analyses (stress, kinematics, thermal, life/fatigue, margins) and document assumptions, methods, and results clearly.
Analyze and size mechanical components based on motor torque/speed curves, gearbox ratios, duty cycles, and thermal limits to ensure adequate margin and reliability.
Use test data and analysis to refine designs for motor mounting, gear trains, bearings, thermal paths, and structural interfaces.
Apply and improve standard work and design guidelines to drive effective, repeatable, and manufacturable designs while still solving novel problems with engineering judgment and creativity.
Support prototype builds, development testing, and qualification testing, and drive design closure based on measured performance.
Work closely with electrical engineers to ensure MCAD/ECAD integration is correct – connector placement, clearances, harness routing, boards in housings, stack-ups, and thermal/EMI constraints.
Collaborate with motor and controls engineers to define motor/gearbox requirements and ensure that mechanical designs support electrical performance, control bandwidth, and environmental requirements.
Review system-level requirements and work through them with systems engineers; help decompose them into clear mechanical requirements and verification plans.
Coordinate modeling details and configuration across mechanical, electrical, and systems models to keep the overall design coherent.
Understand and consider electric motor and gearbox design and behavior (torque, speed, thermal performance, duty cycles, efficiencies, margins) when defining mechanical interfaces and sizing components.
Lead or support component-level failure analyses, FMEA, and FMECA for mechanical and electromechanical hardware.
Drive root-cause and corrective action (RCCA) activities when issues arise in test, production, or field use, including data gathering, hypothesis testing, and corrective/preventive actions.
Work non-conformances through to closure: evaluate impact, define dispositions, update drawings/requirements, and feed lessons learned back into standard work.
Develop scope, objectives, and deliverables for mechanical work packages in collaboration with the project engineer and broader team.
Track progress for your mechanical scope against schedule, budget, and technical milestones; raise issues early and propose technical options.
Identify and manage technical risks related to mechanical design (including motor/gearbox integration and thermal performance); maintain risk entries and contingency plans for your hardware.
Ensure quality standards are met via design reviews, peer reviews, appropriate test coverage, and disciplined configuration management.
Coordinate with procurement, suppliers, and manufacturing engineers to ensure hardware and materials are specified correctly, manufacturable, and delivered on time.
Support build, integration, and test activities, providing on-the-floor guidance when needed to resolve mechanical issues quickly.
Recommend improvements to design practices, tools, and processes to increase reliability, cycle time, and team effectiveness.