Q

QinetiQ

Global defense, security, and aerospace engineering

Principal Mechanical Engineer

Full-TimeDeadline 9/4/27
$130k - $155k
Expert
Master's, Bachelor of Science (BS)
Franklin, MA, USA
In PersonMust support both Devens and Franklin facilities.
Mechanical EngineeringDesign Engineering

About the job

Requirements
  • 10–20 years of experience in mechanical design.
  • Direct project engineering or technical lead experience managing design tasks.
  • Experience performing finite element analysis.
  • Experience designing maritime systems and hardware.
  • Experience designing robotic systems and hardware.
  • Ability to follow mechanical programs from inception through system integration.
  • Ability to lead design teams of up to six engineers or designers.
  • Knowledge of sheet metal fabrication and machining processes.
  • Knowledge of stage-gate and design cycle processes.
  • Experience with welding standards and practices.
  • Experience processing engineering changes to documentation on Department of Defense programs.
  • Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a Department of Defense security clearance if required.
Responsibilities
  • Design, develop, analyze, and maintain designs for military and commercial hardware products, including ruggedized military electronic equipment for maritime applications, robotic ground vehicles, vehicle autonomy hardware, and ground robots.
  • Act as a technical lead supporting existing and new products; evaluate design changes; perform design and analysis tasks; plan and oversee design tasks; and review and approve design documentation.
  • Perform electromechanical design, layout, modeling, and production support of electromechanical assemblies and electronics packaging using SolidWorks and/or Creo.
  • Analyze complex mechanical systems using ANSYS Workbench, including explicit and implicit modeling to study vibration, shock, fluids, structural loading, and thermal responses and performance.
  • Implement Design for Manufacturability practices.
  • Create and update detailed designs and drawings for fabrication.
  • Interface with customers and vendors on a project engineering level.
  • Write design specifications, reports, and proposals.
  • Present technical information internally and to customers.
  • Perform tolerance analysis and check and approve detailed designs and drawings.
  • Provide technical guidance to vendors and manufacturing in building Department of Defense electromechanical assemblies.
  • Disposition discrepant material, author fabrication deviations for suppliers, and support assembly personnel in manufacturing military electronic equipment.
  • Support both the Devens and Franklin facilities.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience with Ansys Fluent and CFX.
  • Ability to develop analytical models for forced and free convection systems in Excel or Mathcad.
  • Strong understanding of structural systems, Department of Defense shock and vibration, and system dynamics.
  • Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering preferred.

About the company

QinetiQ is a global science and engineering company serving defense, security, and aerospace markets. It delivers advanced technologies, testing, evaluation, and integrated engineering services for government and commercial customers, including R&D, systems design, testing facilities, and program support to design, verify, and deploy defense and security solutions. The company originated from the UK's Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) and was privatized to become a private company, later expanding via Carlyle Group’s investment and a London IPO to grow, especially in the U.S. defense market. This mix of government-originated expertise and private-sector growth helps it offer broad, end-to-end capabilities across international projects. Its goal is to provide trusted science and engineering capabilities that help protect nations and people by delivering reliable defense, security, and aerospace solutions.

Company Size

5,001-10,000

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

Mary Tavy, United Kingdom

Founded

1956

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • FY26 order intake hit £3.6 billion, backlog reached £4.8 billion, on 20 July 2026.
  • On 20 July 2026, QinetiQ won the £1.2 billion MOD Digital and IT framework.
  • The 19 January 2026 Typhoon extension and July laser contracts deepen UK revenue visibility.

What critics are saying

  • QinetiQ cut about 1,000 roles in 2026 after weak U.S. defence-services performance.
  • The ACE contract exits in April 2026, exposing revenue if replacements slip.
  • UK MoD concentration is existential; any 2033 TLPA renegotiation would crush earnings.

What makes QinetiQ unique

  • QinetiQ runs MOD ranges through the 2003 Long Term Partnering Agreement until 2033.
  • Its Boscombe Down, Aberporth, Hebrides, and Shoeburyness infrastructure is hard to replicate.
  • It combines test and evaluation, cyber, lasers, and digital engineering for defence buyers.

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Benefits

  • Flexible Work Hours

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-1%

1 year growth

-1%

2 year growth

0%
PR Newswire
Jun 5th, 2026
Soteria licenses QinetiQ's thermal event detection tech for battery safety platform

Soteria Battery Innovation Group has licensed QinetiQ's Q-TRED thermal event detection technology for its Battery Safety IP Exchange platform. The technology uses coatings that emit detectable volatile compounds when battery cells reach elevated temperatures, enabling early warning of potential thermal runaway events before fires occur. Unlike traditional temperature monitoring at limited points, Q-TRED supports distributed sensing with volatile sensor molecules on every cell. Commercially available gas sensors can detect these compounds to alert systems of abnormal thermal conditions. The technology will be integrated into Soteria's IPX, a licensing platform bringing together battery safety innovations across cell materials, detection, mitigation and design. Soteria will partner with supply chain companies to develop Q-TRED for electric vehicles, energy storage systems, aerospace applications and other battery-powered devices.

Yahoo Finance
May 21st, 2026
QinetiQ Group posts record $4.8B order intake, raises dividend 24% despite US market pressures

QinetiQ Group reported revenue of just over £1.9 billion for full year 2026, with operating profit of £218 million and an operating margin exceeding 11%. Free cash flow surged over 40% to £159 million, whilst earnings per share increased 21% to 31.5p. The defence technology company achieved record order intake of £3.6 billion and an order backlog of £4.8 billion, up more than 40%. The company announced enhanced shareholder returns, increasing its dividend 24% to 11p and extending its share buyback programme by £200 million through 2029. However, QinetiQ faced challenges in the US defence services market due to budgetary pressures and undertook restructuring that included cutting approximately 1,000 roles. The company expects revenue growth of 3% to 5% for the coming year, with margins between 11% and 11.5%.

Defli
Oct 25th, 2024
DeFli Announce Series A Funding | DeFli Network

An insight in to our Series A round

The Defense Post
Dec 7th, 2022
QinetiQ Acquires New South Wales Firm Air Affairs Australia

UK-based engineering firm QinetiQ has acquired defense aviation service provider Air Affairs Australia.

QinetiQ
May 27th, 2022
Our History

QinetiQ was formed in July 2001, when the Ministry of Defence (MOD) split its Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) in two. The smaller portion of DERA, was rebranded Dstl (Defence Science & Technology Laboratory).