Weld Tooling Design Engineer (ES3)

Amentum•Huntsville, AL

1d•Onsite

About The Position

This position supports the NASA EM32 Welding & Manufacturing team through Amentum Space Exploration Division under the ESSCA contract to the NASA MSFC Engineering Directorate. The engineer develops reusable tooling concepts for aerospace manufacturing development projects, including fixtures for friction stir and fusion welding, jigs, and lifting and handling tools. The work emphasizes adapting, manufacturing, assembling, and integrating tooling efficiently to meet changing development needs, rather than designing single-use production-line equipment. The selected candidate applies broad engineering knowledge and independent judgment to conventional and specialized assignments, adapts standard methods, and develops new approaches for unusual requirements. The role may represent the organization at technical meetings and conferences and may guide or be supported by engineers, scientists, or technicians. It also includes mentoring junior engineers, exchanging technical advice, developing tooling experiments, and helping customers resolve tooling problems. The position is performed entirely onsite at NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center. The work setting is approximately 70% general office and 30% industrial welding/manufacturing development laboratory or machine shop. The normal schedule is 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, with minimal overtime potentially required. Infrequent travel may be necessary.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, or a related field from an ABET-accredited institution, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Typical educational qualifications are a bachelor's degree with at least 5 years of experience or a master's degree with at least 3 years of experience.
Demonstrated experience developing fixture design concepts, jigs, and lifting/handling tools in an aerospace manufacturing development environment.
Ability to develop reusable tooling for varied development projects, with emphasis on the cost and time required to develop or adapt, manufacture, assemble, and integrate tooling.
Ability to obtain and maintain permission to operate customer-owned vehicles for work activities.
Valid driver's license and automobile liability insurance, and successful completion of company defensive driving training.
Ability to obtain and maintain the customer Welding Safety certification.
Ability to interact effectively with coworkers, managers, and clients and communicate clearly, concisely, and accurately verbally and in writing.
Ability to work onsite at NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center.
Ability to use stairs and/or ladders to access elevated work platforms and to lift or maneuver materials and equipment weighing up to 40 pounds.
Ability to wear required safety glasses, hard hat, hearing protection, foot protection, gloves, and/or protective clothing for lab operations.
Regular attendance and arrangements for delegating duties during absences.

Nice To Haves

Experience with NASA-STD-5006, General Fusion Welding Requirements for Aerospace Materials Used in Flight Hardware.
Experience with MSFC-SPEC-3679, Process Specification – Welding Aerospace Hardware.
Experience with ANSI/AWS D17.1/D17.1M:2010-AMD1, Specification for Fusion Welding for Aerospace Applications.
Experience with NASA-STD-8719.9, Standard for Lifting Devices and Equipment.
Experience with Marshall Procedural Requirement MPR 6430.1-1, Lifting Equipment and Operations, or its predecessor MWI 6430.1G-1.

Responsibilities

Develop fixture design concepts for positioning and holding components during friction stir and/or fusion welding operations, including fixture structure, alignment methods, fixture-to-part interfaces, and automation mechanics.
Maintain proper part positioning and alignment under expected process forces to meet manufacturing requirements.
Ensure tool clearances support required manufacturing operations.
Control fixture thermal characteristics to achieve satisfactory manufacturing results.
Develop jig design concepts and lifting and handling tool design concepts to support Welding & Manufacturing team operations.
Plan for safe fixture, jig, and tool assembly, integration, and use.
Mentor junior engineers as they model and analyze tooling and produce drawings, parts lists, assembly plans, and operating procedures.
Exchange technical information and advice concerning tooling matters.
Develop tooling experiments to evaluate new tooling concepts.
Help Welding & Manufacturing team customers understand and resolve tooling problems.
Develop long-term tooling strategies that accommodate a variety of development projects.
Work independently with minimal supervision, exercise good judgment, and make rational decisions.