Product Engineering Specialist - NEA and Connectors

The Design Engineering Technical Specialist/Expert provides technical leadership and serves as a subject-matter expert in the design, analysis, development, verification, qualification, and production support of Hold Down and Release Mechanisms (HDRMs), Non-Explosive Actuators (NEAs), custom electrical wiring interconnect systems, and related aerospace mechanisms and components.

This role serves as a technical authority for HDRM/NEA products, providing expert guidance on mechanism architecture, engineering analysis, design margins, materials and processes, interfaces, performance, reliability, manufacturability, and product verification throughout the product lifecycle. The specialist leads resolution of complex engineering problems and ensures designs are technically robust, appropriately substantiated, and capable of meeting customer, product, and program requirements.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: 
•    Provides technical leadership to product development teams in the design, analysis, development, verification, qualification, and production support of HDRM/NEA products, custom electrical interconnect systems, and related aerospace mechanisms and components.
•    Serves as a technical authority and subject-matter expert for HDRM/NEA technology, providing guidance on product architecture, mechanism design, design margins, material and process selection, mechanical interfaces, performance, reliability, manufacturability, and verification.
•    Leads and reviews engineering analyses used to substantiate product designs, including structural and mechanical analysis, tolerance and interface analysis, preload and release performance, dynamic environments, shock and vibration response, fatigue/life considerations, and thermal effects, as applicable.
•    Provides technical leadership in developing product verification and qualification strategies, including selection of analysis and test methods, test configuration, instrumentation, acceptance criteria, interpretation of test results, and correlation of analytical predictions with measured performance.
•    Leads complex engineering trade studies and technical risk assessments, balancing performance, reliability, mass, envelope, manufacturability, cost, schedule, and program risk to establish technically sound product solutions.
•    Leads and participates in formal technical and design reviews, challenging engineering assumptions, identifying technical risks, and assessing design maturity and technical substantiation throughout development, qualification, and transition to production.
•    Reviews and critiques technical analyses, designs, test plans, test results, reports, and technical presentations to ensure engineering rigor, appropriate technical substantiation, identification and mitigation of design risk, and compliance with applicable requirements.
•    Guides engineering teams in requirements development, decomposition, validation, verification, and management throughout the program lifecycle, including traceability between customer requirements, product requirements, engineering analyses, and verification evidence.
•    Provides technical leadership and consultation to senior management, commercial teams, customers, suppliers, manufacturing, quality, program management, and other cross-functional teams regarding complex technical issues, product capability, development risk, and engineering decision-making.
•    Assesses new and existing projects, including product and program cost estimates, recurring product costs, non-recurring engineering (NRE), development schedules, technical risk, design specifications, product installation and operation, and technical plans, procedures, and reports.
•    Leads or directly conducts root-cause and failure investigations associated with development, qualification, customer validation, manufacturing, and field-reported issues. Develops and reviews Failure Analysis Reports (FARs) and drives technically substantiated corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
•    Serves as a divisional technical expert supporting Material Review Board (MRB) activities, including evaluation of nonconforming hardware, assessment of functional and performance impact, engineering substantiation of dispositions, and development of technical recommendations for customers.
•    Drives disciplined product configuration and documentation practices, including management of product and document changes through Engineering Change Orders (COs) and Eaton's Product Lifecycle Management system, Enovia.

•    Develops, maintains, and continuously improves engineering processes, analytical methods, design guidelines, design standards, and test standards based on product experience, industry best practices, and lessons learned.
•    Leads application of Eaton Aerospace Common Engineering Standards (ACES) on applicable projects and contributes technical expertise and lessons learned to the continuous improvement of engineering standards.
•    Captures and institutionalizes lessons learned from development programs, qualification testing, production experience, failure investigations, and field performance to improve future HDRM/NEA designs, engineering methods, and product robustness.
•    Provides mentorship, technical coaching, and knowledge transfer to engineers and other technical personnel, with emphasis on mechanism design principles, engineering judgment, analytical methods, lessons learned, and disciplined engineering problem solving.
•    Supports assessment of jurisdiction and classification of hardware and technical data in accordance with applicable ITAR and EAR requirements.

Required:

•    Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related engineering discipline from an ABET-accredited institution. 
•    Minimum 7 years of product development engineering experience, including experience with complex mechanical, electromechanical, aerospace, or similarly mission-critical products. Significant Mechanical design is a must. 
•    Demonstrated expertise in the design and development of precision mechanical or electromechanical mechanisms; experience with HDRMs, release devices, or comparable aerospace mechanisms strongly preferred.  Mechanical design is a must..

•    This position requires use of information or access to hardware which is subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).  All applicants must be U.S. persons within the meaning of ITAR.  ITAR defines a U.S. person as a U.S. citizen, U.S. Permanent Resident (i.e. Green Card Holder'), Political Asylee, or Refugee.

•    Must not require any form of visa sponsorship now or in the future. 

•    10 years of experience in aerospace product engineering. Mechanical Engineer strongly preferrred. 
•    Direct experience designing, developing, and qualifying Hold Down and Release Mechanisms (HDRMs), Non-Explosive Actuators (NEAs), separation/release devices, or comparable aerospace mechanisms.

•  Advanced knowledge of mechanism design principles, including load paths, preload, stiffness, friction and tribology, contact mechanics, joint design, tolerance accumulation, materials selection, fatigue/life, and manufacturing variation.
•    Experience developing and qualifying spaceflight, launch vehicle, missile, or other high-reliability aerospace mechanical/electromechanical hardware for severe vibration, shock, thermal, and life-cycle environments.
•    Experience performing or technically leading mechanism-level trade studies, structural/dynamic analysis, test-to-analysis correlation, and design-margin assessments used to make critical product design decisions.
•    Experience with reliability and risk-analysis methodologies, such as Design FMEA (DFMEA), fault-tree analysis (FTA), and physics-of-failure approaches, applied to complex mechanical or electromechanical products.
•    Experience serving as a technical authority or subject-matter expert, including leading critical design reviews, independently assessing technical risk, resolving complex failures, establishing design practices, and mentoring other engineers. 
•    Working knowledge of applicable aerospace/space industry standards and customer qualification requirements for mechanical mechanisms and electromechanical release devices.
•    Expertise in Enovia Product Life Cycle Management (PLM) software and SolidWorks CAD software.
•    Additional Certifications including Lean 6-Sigma methods preferred, including Design for Six Sigma (DFSS/SSDD) Black Belt, Red X, or Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification.