Mechanical Engineer - Additive Tank Product Design & Development Technical Lead - Level 5

Build and guide the technical direction for additively manufactured tank product design and development on Northrop Grumman’s Mission Enabling Products (MEP) team in Commerce, CA (onsite). This Level 5 Mechanical Engineer role combines product technical authority with hands-on ownership across requirements, architecture, design, analysis, interfaces, verification, tooling requirements, and product qualification. Earn a competitive salary range of $161,000 to $241,400 and benefit from Northrop Grumman’s Total Rewards package.

Responsibilities

• Own and control product-line requirements, architecture, configurations, interfaces, design rules, verification methods, and the product technical baseline.
• Lead mechanical design of tanks, domes, joints, supports, interfaces, and associated hardware.
• Direct required analyses including structural, thermal, pressure, fatigue, fracture, buckling, plus model validation and test correlation.
• Own functional GD&T, datum architecture, tolerance stacks, critical characteristics, acceptance criteria, and engineering-definition release; obtain documented manufacturability and inspectability concurrence from the Additive Manufacturing Lead.
• Review DFM/DFA assessments led by the Additive Manufacturing Lead and decide how recommendations are incorporated into the controlled product design.
• Approve design allowables, criteria, and margins using process data and capability evidence provided by the Additive Manufacturing Lead.
• Own joint performance, geometry, interfaces, fits, and acceptance requirements; coordinate with the Additive Manufacturing Lead on joining-process development and qualification.
• Define product-critical assembly, handling, integration, and test-tooling requirements, including loads, interfaces, accuracy, and acceptance criteria; agree on tooling classification before work begins.
• Define characteristics, tolerances, acceptance criteria, and verification closure; the Additive Manufacturing Lead owns manufacturing inspection methods and process controls.
• Own product verification and qualification, including test articles, instrumentation, acceptance criteria, analysis-to-test correlation, and requirements closure.
• Approve changes affecting requirements, form, fit, function, interfaces, design margins, or product qualification, and define the documented manufacturing envelope for controlled manufacturing changes.
• Lead integrated issue resolution where product performance or design risk is primary; require Additive Manufacturing Lead concurrence when both technical baselines are affected.
• Recommend design maturity and engineering release; overall program authorization requires the separate manufacturing-readiness recommendation of the Additive Manufacturing Lead.
• Mentor engineers and communicate product maturity, margins, risks, decisions, and recommendations to program leadership.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related STEM discipline with 12 years of relevant engineering experience; OR Master’s degree with 10 years; or PhD with 8 years.
• Demonstrated technical leadership of complex mechanical products from requirements through design, analysis, manufacturing, verification, and qualification.
• Demonstrated experience with additive manufacturing or other advanced manufacturing methods and the ability to incorporate them into technical roadmaps.
• Advanced experience with mechanical design, requirements development, engineering definition, GD&T, interface control, and tolerance analysis.
• Experience directing structural and thermal analyses and using results to make product-level decisions.
• Experience leading and influencing cross-functional technical teams, with effective interfacing with customers and senior leadership.
• Experience with pressure-containing, highly loaded, or similarly complex hardware.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams, design reviews, verification planning, and technical-risk resolution without direct reporting authority.
• Ability to obtain and maintain the required security clearance.

Benefits

• Health insurance coverage
• Life and disability insurance
• Savings plan
• Company paid holidays
• Paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business
• Comprehensive Total Rewards and benefits package
• Annual bonuses designed to reward individual contributions and allow employees to share in company results

Travel: Yes, 10% of the Time

Relocation assistance: Relocation assistance may be available

Clearance required for start: No

Clearance type: None

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with tanks, pressure vessels, propulsion hardware, or aerospace structures.
• Experience designing metal additively manufactured hardware.
• Knowledge of fatigue, fracture mechanics, damage tolerance, buckling, and pressure-system qualification.
• Experience developing scalable product families or common product architectures.
• Experience defining and overseeing tooling for assembly, handling, integration, and test.
• Familiarity with machining, joining, inspection, additive-process qualification, CAD/PLM, requirements management, and configuration control.

Primary level salary range: $161,000.00 - $241,400.00 (USD) per year