Principal Mechanical Engineer

Leidos is seeking a Principal Mechanical Engineer to join its Directed Energy team in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The successful candidate will work with a multidisciplinary team of engineers, scientists, technicians, and fabricators in a research and development environment supporting advanced directed energy technologies.

Primary Responsibilities:

The engineer will be responsible for taking mechanical designs from concept through detailed design, fabrication, assembly, integration, and test. The position requires an individual who can work independently, communicate effectively across technical disciplines, and collaborate closely with machinists, fabricators, vendors, and other engineers to develop robust, manufacturable hardware.

Responsibilities include:

• Creating 3D solid models and detailed mechanical designs for innovative hardware, equipment, and systems
• Performing engineering analysis to support design decisions and verify mechanical performance
• Designing hardware with consideration for manufacturability, material selection, machining, welding, fabrication, assembly, and maintenance requirements
• Working directly with Leidos machinists, fabricators, technicians, and external vendors to develop, procure, and support fabrication of mechanical components and assemblies
• Resolving design, fabrication, assembly, and testing issues by developing practical and effective mechanical solutions
• Supporting hands-on assembly, integration, troubleshooting, modification, and testing of prototype and experimental hardware
• Collaborating with engineers and scientists from multiple technical disciplines to develop mechanical interfaces and integrated system solutions
• Managing multiple engineering tasks and projects while effectively balancing technical requirements, schedules, and priorities
• Communicating technical concepts, design decisions, and status effectively to engineering teams, project leadership, customers, and manufacturing personnel
• Providing technical leadership for significant mechanical subsystems or projects
• Collaborating with customers, engineers, and technicians to develop cooling requirements
• Conducting FEA thermal analysis to quantify heat loads and cooling needs
• Designing cold plates and heat exchangers to manage heat flow
• Conducting CFD analysis to calculate flow rates, pressure drop, and heat removal
• Sizing commercial heat exchangers, fluid pumps, and fans in accordance with thermal requirements and analysis
• Developing 3D models, drawings, and flow diagrams to document the design of thermal control systems

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering with more than 20 years of experience 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 creation of detailed engineering drawings
• Working familiarity with cooling components such as heat exchangers, chillers, pumps, and cooling fans
• Mastery of applying mechanical design principles, material selection, tolerancing, and design for manufacturability in the development of 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 be able to lead meetings with large groups of people
• Work location is predominantly Albuquerque, NM. Candidate must be a resident of, or be willing to relocate to, Albuquerque, NM
• Demonstrated ability to develop practical solutions to complex mechanical design, fabrication, assembly, and testing problems
• Must be a US Citizen and possess (and be able to maintain) a Final Secret Clearance OR meet the eligibility 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 project schedules and priorities

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with directed energy systems, vacuum components, and pulsed power systems
• Skilled in the use of Simulink to model thermal control systems
• Adaptable in fast-paced environments
• Experience with SolidWorks Simulation
• Application of GD&T to mechanical engineering drawings
• Design of machined, welded, sheet metal, and fabricated mechanical components and assemblies, including designs requiring 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
• Expert knowledge of vacuum systems, vacuum hardware, and pressure vessels
• Experience with mechanical design and integration for electromagnetic, RF, high-power microwave, or pulsed-power systems
• Department of Defense or other government research and development programs experience
• Active DoD security clearance