Mechanical Engineer

Location: University Park

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

* CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please login to Workday to complete the internal application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.

* CURRENT PENN STATE STUDENT (not employed previously at the university) and seeking employment with Penn State, please login to Workday to complete the student application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.

* If you are NOT a current employee or student, please click "Apply" and complete the application process for external applicants.

Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see Notice to Out of State Applicants.

POSITION SPECIFICS

We are searching for a motivated Mechanical Research and Development Engineer to join our Polymer Composite Manufacturing (PCM) team in the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) at Penn State University. You will support various research activities throughout the Advanced Manufacturing and Materials Engineering (AMME) Division, including manufacturing, characterization, or design and analysis of polymers and fiber-reinforced polymer composites, elastomers, ceramic matrix composites, and/or multi-material structures.

ARL is an authorized DoD Skill Bridge partner and welcomes all transitioning military members to apply.

You will:

* Support the development of advanced composite and multi-material structures for defense applications

* Perform and/or support daily aspects of fabrication, characterization, material processing, and testing

* Prepare test plans, procedures, bills of materials, technical reports, presentations, and other forms of formal documentation

* Report progress to principal investigators and other engineering personnel

* Collaborate with fellow engineers and support staff to plan, design, fabricate, and assemble new parts and equipment

* Help maintain a safe, clean, and organized laboratory environment

Additional responsibilities for higher-level positions may include:

* May present technical information to sponsors and other project stakeholders

* Contribute to whitepapers, project plans, proposals, meetings, and other business development efforts

* Effective management of tasks/projects and leadership of associated teams

* Mentor junior employees, interns, or graduate students

Required skills/knowledge areas include:

* Knowledge of common fibers, resins, adhesives, and other constituent materials

* Proficiency with modeling approaches for composites such as solid mechanics, micromechanics, laminate plate theory, and finite elements methods

* Composite processing, fabrication, and test methods

* Excel, MATLAB, Python, or equivalent

* Previous success with collaborations in a multi-disciplinary, team-oriented culture

Preferred skills and experience areas include:

* Fabrication and/or repair of fiber-reinforced composite materials

* Technical documentation and presentation

* Process development and experimental design

* Structural analysis using Abaqus CAE or equivalent FE methods

* Current eligibility for access to classified information at the Secret level or higher and may be subject to a government background investigation to upgrade clearance eligibility, if required

Your working location will be fully on-site, located in State College, PA. Questions related to flexible work should be directed to the hiring manager during the interview process.

MINIMUM EDUCATION, WORK EXPERIENCE & REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONS

If filled as Research and Development Engineer - Advanced Professional, this position requires:
Bachelor's Degree - Engineering or Science
5+ years of relevant experience
Required

Certifications:

None

If filled as Research and Development Engineer - Intermediate Professional, this position requires:
Bachelor's Degree - Engineering or Science
2+ years of relevant experience
Required

Certifications:

None

ARL's purpose is to research and develop innovative solutions to challenging scientific, engineering, and technology problems in support of the Navy, the Department of Defense (DoD), and the Intel Community (IC).

FOR FURTHER…