Principal Engineer

Job No: 503623
Work Type: Staff Full Time (1500 hours or greater)
Location: Dayton, OH
Category: Research Institute Staff
Department: Adv Mfg Engineering - 250714
Pay Grade: R4 - Exempt
Advertised: June 09, 2026
Applications close: June 22, 2026

Position Summary:This position will support the engineering group in a principal engineer capacity, providing experienced technical leadership across complex systems & solutions through a rigorous development process. The principal engineer will guide & mentor cross-functional teams in the execution of complex and/or strategically significant/high visibility projects as assigned by engineering leadership. The role requires a thorough understanding of contractual, customer, and qualification requirements along with the ability to translate them into clear technical direction, ensuring engineering solutions meet or exceed customer needs. Additionally, the principal engineer will assist in the development of part family qualification processes in alignment with the organizational and customer strategic direction. This role will also support AME leadership in generating proposals, ROMs, and technical quotes, informed by experience delivering engineering solutions and managing customer relationships across government and commercial programs. Finally, this role will assist in product development process improvement initiatives and root cause analysis activities to drive efficiency, reduce risk, and ensure compliance with applicable standards and industry best practices.
Occasional travel is expected for this role. This role will be working in a highly agile environment in a multifunctional team and therefore, being a team player and having flexibility, adaptability, and attention to detail are key to success.

Minimum Qualifications:
1. BS degree in mechanical, aerospace engineering or related field
2. 20+ years of experience in engineering roles
3. 15+ years of experience in product development
4. Experience leading FMEA and risk analysis
5. Experience conducting root cause analysis and performing corrective actions
6. Experience working in government contracting
7. Experience leading large projects or technical teams
8. Experience in reviewing FEA analysis simulation results and interrogating outcomes using sound engineering judgement and best practices
9. Practical experience reverse-engineering products/projects
10. Familiarity with various manufacturing processes such as casting, forging, extrusion, CNC machining, injection molding, thermoforming, etc.
11. Attention to detail and organizational skills
12. Ability to perform extensive research, catalogue findings during development activities, and write reports for both internal and external use
13. Effective interpersonal communication and presentation skills with coworkers and clients
14. Experience mentoring and teaching younger engineers
15. Self-motivation with ability to work with minimal supervision
16. Ability to work in a high pace and agile environment
17. Due to requirements of our research contracts with the U.S. federal government, candidates for this position must be a U.S. Citizen

Preferred Qualifications:
While not everyone may possess all of the preferred qualifications, the ideal candidate will bring many of the following:

1. Experience with Additive Manufacturing
2. Experience working under ISO 9001 certified and/or AS9100 certified facility
3. Experience working with socially and culturally diverse communities

Special Instructions to Applicants:
To apply please submit a cover letter addressing each minimum qualification and any applicable preferred qualifications that you meet.