Principal Mechanical Engineer

Leidos•Albuquerque, NM

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Leidos is seeking a Principal Mechanical Engineer to join its Directed Energy team in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The role supports research and development of advanced directed energy technologies, including high-power microwave, RF, electromagnetic, and pulsed-power systems. The engineer will work with a multidisciplinary team of engineers, scientists, technicians, and fabricators. The position develops mechanical designs from concept through detailed design, fabrication, assembly, integration, and testing. It also supports thermal management by capturing system cooling requirements, designing thermal control systems, supervising construction, and testing and troubleshooting cooling equipment. The engineer creates and maintains models, drawings, analyses, bills of materials, flow diagrams, and test documentation; coordinates procurement; and verifies built systems against designs. The role provides technical leadership for complex mechanical subsystems and projects and requires effective collaboration with internal teams, customers, machinists, fabricators, and vendors.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering with more than 20 years of prior experience with mechanical and/or thermal systems, or a master's degree with 15 years of related experience.
Demonstrated experience developing mechanical hardware from concept through detailed design, fabrication, assembly, integration, and testing.
Proficiency with SolidWorks, including 3D part and assembly modeling and detailed engineering drawings; experience with PDMWorks.
Working familiarity with cooling components such as heat exchangers, chillers, pumps, and cooling fans.
Mastery of mechanical design principles, material selection, tolerancing, and design for manufacturability for fabricated hardware.
Ability to work independently and collaborate effectively with machinists, fabricators, technicians, engineers, and scientists.
Experience with thermal measurement diagnostics such as thermocouples, flow gauges, and pressure sensors.
Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to lead meetings with large groups.
Must reside in or be willing to relocate to Albuquerque, New Mexico; work location is predominantly Albuquerque.
Demonstrated ability to develop practical solutions to complex mechanical design, fabrication, assembly, and testing problems.
Must be a U.S. citizen and possess and be able to maintain a Final Secret Clearance, or meet the eligibility requirements to obtain and maintain a Secret Clearance.
Ability and willingness to adhere to government and company safety requirements.
Ability to manage multiple projects or engineering tasks while maintaining schedules and priorities.

Nice To Haves

Experience with directed energy systems, vacuum components, and pulsed-power systems.
Skill using Simulink to model thermal control systems.
Adaptability in fast-paced environments.
Experience with SolidWorks Simulation.
Application of GD&T to mechanical engineering drawings.
Experience designing machined, welded, sheet metal, and fabricated mechanical components and assemblies, including designs involving multiple manufacturing processes.
Experience with prototype, low-volume, and research and development hardware.
Structural analysis of mechanical components, assemblies, and systems using analytical methods and FEA as appropriate.
Thermal and heat-transfer analysis of mechanical and electromechanical systems, including development of practical thermal management solutions.
Mechanical packaging and integration of multidisciplinary systems.
Hardware assembly, integration, testing, troubleshooting, and field operations experience.
Expert knowledge of vacuum systems, vacuum hardware, and pressure vessels.
Mechanical design and integration experience for electromagnetic, RF, high-power microwave, or pulsed-power systems.
Department of Defense or other government research and development program experience.
Active DoD security clearance.

Responsibilities

Develop mechanical designs from initial requirements and concepts through detailed design, fabrication, assembly, integration, and testing.
Create 3D solid models and detailed mechanical designs for hardware, equipment, and systems.
Perform engineering analyses to support design decisions and verify mechanical performance.
Create and maintain engineering drawings with dimensions, tolerances, and manufacturing requirements in accordance with company standards and customer specifications.
Design hardware considering manufacturability, materials, machining, welding, fabrication, assembly, and maintenance.
Work with machinists, fabricators, technicians, and vendors to develop, procure, and support fabrication of mechanical components and assemblies.
Resolve design, fabrication, assembly, and testing issues with practical mechanical solutions.
Support hands-on assembly, integration, troubleshooting, modification, and testing of prototype and experimental hardware.
Collaborate across technical disciplines to develop mechanical interfaces and integrated system solutions.
Manage multiple engineering tasks and projects while balancing technical requirements, schedules, and priorities.
Communicate technical concepts, design decisions, and status to engineering teams, project leadership, customers, and manufacturing personnel.
Provide technical leadership for mechanical subsystems or projects, establishing approaches, interfaces, and solutions for complex multidisciplinary problems.
Collaborate with customers, engineers, and technicians to develop cooling requirements.
Conduct FEA thermal analysis to quantify heat loads and cooling needs.
Design cold plates and heat exchangers to manage heat flow.
Conduct CFD analysis to calculate flow rates, pressure drop, and heat removal.
Size commercial heat exchangers, fluid pumps, and fans in accordance with thermal requirements and analysis.
Develop 3D models, drawings, and flow diagrams documenting thermal control system designs.
Document designs and present them to customers, generate bills of materials and coordinate their purchase, audit as-built systems for design compliance, and document test results.