Lead Mechanical Engineer

Looking for an opportunity to make an impact?

At Leidos, we deliver innovative solutions through the efforts of our diverse and talented people who are dedicated to our customers’ success. We empower our teams, contribute to our communities, and operate sustainable. Everything we do is built on a commitment to do the right thing for our customers, our people, and our community. Our Mission, Vision, and Values guide the way we do business.

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Leidos Defense provides a diverse portfolio of systems, solutions, and services covering land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace for customers worldwide. Solutions for Defense include enterprise and mission IT, large-scale intelligence systems, command and control, geospatial and data analytics, cybersecurity, logistics, training, and intelligence analysis and operations support. Our team is solving the world’s toughest security challenges for customers with “can’t fail” missions.

Leidos Defense is seeking a talented Lead Mechanical Engineer for its Hypersonics line of business. With offices across the United States engaging in the defense, space, cyber and commercial fields, Leidos provides responsive, cost-effective engineering, scientific and IT solutions. The selected candidate will support the Thermal Protection System (TPS) program of the Common Hypersonic Glide Body (CHGB). The CHGB is the Army’s #1 priority for strategic weapons capability for long-range precision fires and will counter and gain a lead on our adversaries' technological advances in this field.

Come join us in this exciting, cutting-edge field!

A successful candidate will develop a strong understanding of product requirements and work closely with manufacturing teams to solve multidisciplinary problems in a fast-paced, low-rate initial production (LRIP) environment. The candidate will apply technical knowledge, experience, and sound engineering judgment across assigned areas to identify issues, evaluate solutions, and drive issues to resolution for the products they support.

This role will provide broad exposure to the processes and key characteristics of assigned product lines while requiring coordination across multiple disciplines, including design engineering, manufacturing engineering, process control, and Material Review Board (MRB) activities. The candidate will also collaborate with suppliers to resolve technical and production issues and drive continuous improvement and cost-reduction initiatives.

A primary measure of success in this role is effectively supporting the production team in achieving on-time delivery of compliant products with complete flight traceability.

Candidate will need to support second-shift manufacturing operations (3:00 PM–11:00 PM CST) for approximately the first nine months of the role, transitioning to first-shift operations support (7:00 AM–3:00 PM CST) thereafter, with occasional second-shift support (~5% of the time). Approximately 20% of the time will be spent traveling to the Colorado Springs, CO based manufacturing location.

Primary Responsibilities Lead and coordinate mechanical engineering activities for the Thermal Protection System.

Work with the design agent to incorporate design changes that enhance manufacturability, quality, and production efficiency.

Collaborate with operations teams to identify and resolve technical issues and production bottlenecks impacting manufacturing flow and delivery.

Work closely with manufacturing engineering to develop and refine work instructions, streamline processes, and optimize production operations.

Provide direct support to technicians during Thermal Protection System installation and integration activities, including periodic onsite work within classified…