Senior Specialist - Mechanical Engineer

Job Title: Senior Specialist, Mechanical Engineer

Job Code: 47433

Job Location: Tulsa, OK

Job Schedule:  9/80: Employees work 9 out of every 14 days - totaling 80 hours worked - and have every other Friday off

Job Description:

L3Harris is seeking a Senior Specialist, Mechanical Engineer to serve as a Senior Structural Stress Engineer on our Aeronautical Systems Engineering team supporting Special Mission Aircraft. In this highly technical role, you will lead and perform structural stress analysis and substantiation of aircraft modifications, including primary airframe structures, fuselage cutouts, equipment racks, consoles, intercostals, and other mission-equipment installations.

Responsibilities include preliminary structural sizing, detailed static strength analysis, finite element modeling, technical documentation, and production liaison support. You will evaluate metallic and composite structures using classical analysis methods, finite element analysis, and established aerospace analysis tools. The engineer will coordinate with Structural Design, Systems Engineering, Manufacturing, Production, and other engineering disciplines to develop structurally sound, producible solutions that meet program requirements. This position requires the ability to work independently, lead technical assignments, review analysis packages, and mentor junior engineers.

Essential Functions: 

• Lead structural stress analysis assignments from requirements definition and preliminary sizing through detailed substantiation, technical review, production support, and delivery.
• Define appropriate analysis methods, modeling approaches, assumptions, and acceptance criteria for assigned structural modifications.
• Perform static strength analysis of primary and secondary aircraft structures, including frames, skins, fittings, equipment supports, racks, consoles, and fuselage cutout reinforcements.
• Develop, modify, and evaluate finite element models using FEMAP/NX Nastran to determine internal loads, stresses, deflections, and structural stiffness.
• Evaluate applicable failure modes, including material strength, panel and cap instability, crippling, fastener shear/tension/bending interaction, bearing, and composite bearing/bypass.
• Extract section properties from CAD models and assess large sets of load conditions using spreadsheets, batch-processing tools, and established analysis applications.
• Analyze composite structures and evaluate laminate configurations, including sensitivity to layup changes and applied pressure loads.
• Prepare stress notes, formal substantiation reports, spreadsheets, and technical presentations documenting methods, assumptions, results, and conclusions.
• Perform peer reviews of finite element models, analysis packages, and stress reports for technical accuracy, completeness, and consistency.
• Provide structural liaison support for engineering changes, drawing revisions, manufacturing discrepancies, and nonconformances.
• Support Material Review Board activities and exercise technical approval authority when formally delegated.
• Mentor junior engineers in structural analysis, finite element modeling, technical writing, and problem resolution.
• Execute assigned work within program schedules and budgets while complying with applicable engineering processes and requirements.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret Security Clearance.
• Ability to travel up to 10%, as required.

Qualifications: 

• Bachelor's Degree with a minimum of 6 years prior relevant experience. Graduate Degree with a minimum of 4 years prior relevant experience.  In lieu of degree, 10 years of mechanical engineering experience.

Preferred Additional Skills:

• Extensive structural analysis experience supporting defense aerospace programs and special mission aircraft modifications.
• Experience with Gulfstream G550 aircraft structures.
• Experience performing static strength analysis and structural substantiation of aircraft primary and secondary structures.
• Experience substantiating fuselage cutouts, pressure-box structures, equipment racks, consoles, and intercostal installations.
• Proficiency in classical structural analysis methods and finite element analysis (FEA) using FEMAP/NX Nastran.
• Demonstrated understanding of aircraft structural load paths, metallic failure modes, joint analysis, stability, and stiffness requirements.
• Fatigue and Damage Tolerance (F&DT) analysis experience, including familiarity with AFGROW.
• Composite analysis experience using Classical Laminate Theory, including laminate bearing/bypass analysis, fairing sizing, and laminate sensitivity studies.
• Experience mapping computational fluid dynamics (CFD) pressure loads onto structural finite element models.
• Experience developing spreadsheet-based analysis tools and processing large sets of load conditions.
• Experience preparing and reviewing stress analysis documentation, substantiation packages, and formal engineering reports.
• Experience coordinating with design, manufacturing, and production personnel to resolve structural issues.
• Previous experience serving as a Lead Stress Engineer, MRB signature authority, or holding final technical approval responsibilities.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings and use CAD models to obtain geometry and section properties.
• Strong technical communication, collaboration, mentoring, and organizational skills.

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