Mechanical Engineer/ Lvl 3/4– Motion Control and Avionics (Technical)

About this role

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No

CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret

TRAVEL: Yes, 25% of the Time Description

At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work — and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.

Northrop Grumman is currently seeking a Principal Propulsion Engineer or Sr. Principal Propulsion Engineer to join our team at our Elkton, Maryland location to support the Propulsion Systems and Controls (PS&C) business unit. Northrop Grumman Propulsion Systems and Controls (PS&C) facility in Elkton, Maryland began solid‑propellant rocket operations in 1948. Today, the Elkton PS&C facility designs, develops, and produces solid‑propellant propulsion, ordnance and motion controls systems in programs professionally managed for a wide variety of Government and commercial customers. The facility also serves as the hub for offsite engineering and test facilities in Ronkonkoma, NY and Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Elkton, Maryland is located on the Upper Chesapeake Bay, midway between Philadelphia and Baltimore. Discover charming small towns, parks with miles of trails, specialty and antique shops, award‑winning restaurants, and inns. You can hike, bike, camp, bird watch, ride horseback, or drop a fishing line. Five rivers, Chesapeake Bay and the C&D Canal can be explored by boat or by land. Experience panoramic views from Turkey Point Lighthouse on a bluff overlooking the Bay, or from the banks of the C&D Canal where ships from around the globe cruise.  https://www.ccgov.org/government/tourism Overview We are 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 • 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.

Key Responsibilities Mechanical Design & Analysis (Primary) • 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.

Integration with Electrical, Systems, Motors, and Gearboxes • 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.

Failure Analysis, Non‑Conformances, and RCCA • 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.

Execution, Risk, and Quality (Mechanical Scope) • Develop scope, objectives, and deliverables for mechanical work packages in collaboration with the project engineer and broader team. • Track progress for your mechani

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