Welding and Metallurgy Senior Design Engineer

Job Summary

Leonardo DRS Naval Power Systems has an immediate need for a Welding and Metallurgy Senior Design Engineer with a well-rounded skill set, including design, analysis, assembly support, inspection, and qualification/validation experience.  
The ideal candidate is an individual possessing strong mechanical engineering technical skills with an experienced-based focus on high speed rotating parts, steel welding, and related metallurgy.  

The candidate is expected to work independently or as part of a multidisciplinary team using judgment and discretion in making complex decisions.  The technical nature of this position requires a collaborative and consultative role in program development and problem solving with other technical resources.  

Critical to success in the role are the abilities to break down and organize complicated technical challenges, clearly document and present project status, and cross-functional project leadership.  This role will have significant supplier and customer interaction.  Travel to US-based suppliers and customer locations as needed (<10%).
 

Job Responsibilities

• Apply existing knowledge of metallurgical processes such as welding, joining, and brazing to guide new product designs, negotiate with customers and suppliers, and to quickly resolve manufacturing issues.
• Be the subject matter expert on steel, titanium and the special material needs of high speed rotating parts for corrosion, creep, high cycle fatigue, and high temperature performance.  Mentor design and manufacturing engineers in material selection, welding standards, and best practices.  Provide hands-on support to assembly and fabrication operations.
• Compare and identify suitable material crossovers between commercial, foreign, and military material specifications including forgings, castings, and weld processes.
• Conduct failure analyses and root-cause analyses on non-conforming parts and welding issues; lead external NDT and destructive testing.  Provide direction and leadership to manufacturing, suppliers, and supporting departments regarding process improvements, systemic corrective actions, and disposition for non-conforming hardware.  
• Develop internal or supplier-provided weld/joint testing and inspection programs with input from Manufacturing, Quality, and other teams.  Lead external testing performed to AWS, AMS, ASME, ASTM, military standards, and other specifications.
• Develop project plans and pre-contract proposals and estimates based on project scope, technical requirements, risks, and customer needs.
• Plan and drive execution of the detailed technical work scope to the required quality, schedule, and budget.
• Confidently and competently represent DRS in front of customers, including the US Navy.
• Clearly communicate, orally and in writing, technical and programmatic information to technical and non-technical individuals.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science degree from a 4-year accredited college or university in Mechanical Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, Materials Science, or related field of study with a minimum of 8 years of experience as an individual contributor.
• Knowledge of materials engineering, mechanical engineering, structural engineering, failure of materials, and experimental design
• Extensive knowledge of physical and welding metallurgy of low carbon steel, high strength steels and stainless-steel alloys and their use in forgings, castings, and weldments, including aging, heat treatment/stress relief, nitriding, and coatings/painting systems.
• Proven experience individually working the product development cycle from concept to qualified / fielded systems.
• Strong engineering design skills; including knowledge in material selection (with a heavy focus on steel alloys), plate and weld sizing, forging, brazing, fastener design, and adhesive selection.
• Ability to read, understand, and critique weldment and assembly drawings and design schematics.
• Ability to analyze complex engineering designs to provide welding requirements, including pre-heat, PWHT, weld coupons, and other engineering drawing details compliant with American Welding Society standards (AWS D1.1, AWS A2.4, etc.), Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA 250-1500-1) and MIL-STD-248.
• Experience with appropriate selection of non-destructive inspection techniques including VT, MT, PT, UT, RT per NAVSEA S9074-AR-GIB-010 or similar standards.
• US citizenship required.
   

Preferred Qualifications

• Ph.D. or Masters in Welding, Metallurgy, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field
• Experience in a lean manufacturing environment with the ability to apply statistical methods, SPC, six-sigma, and similar tools for decision making and product robustness.
• Experience with the development of electric machines, electric motor/drive systems, electro-mechanical systems, marine gas turbines, and/or diesel engines.
• Proficient with Computer Aided Design (CAD) Tools (Solidworks and/or Siemens NX/Teamcenter preferred)
• Proficient with Finite Element Analysis and/or Multi-Physics Analysis Tools (ANSYS preferred)
• Experience with Program Management tools (MS Project preferred) and/or agile Project Management tools- (Jira preferred) 
• Experience with execution of projects for the US military