Principal Engineer

Austincc; Dayton (OH); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Austincc is seeking a Principal Engineer to provide technical leadership across complex systems and solutions, guiding cross-functional teams in high-visibility projects. The role translates contractual and customer requirements into clear technical direction while supporting qualifications and process improvements.

Ideal candidates have 20+ years in engineering, 15+ in product development, and strong experience with FMEA, RCA, and government contracting. This position requires U.S.

Qualifications

• BS degree in mechanical, aerospace engineering or related field.
• 20+ years of experience in engineering roles.
• 15+ years of experience in product development.
• Experience leading FMEA and risk analysis.
• Experience conducting root cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Experience working in government contracting.
• Experience leading large projects or technical teams.
• Experience reviewing FEA analysis and interpreting results.
• Practical experience reverse-engineering products/projects.
• Familiarity with casting, forging, extrusion, CNC, injection molding, thermoforming.
• Attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Ability to perform research, document findings, and write reports.
• Strong interpersonal communication and presentation skills.
• Experience mentoring younger engineers.
• Self-motivation with minimal supervision.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, agile environment.
• U.S. Citizenship required.

Responsibilities

• Provide experienced technical leadership across complex systems and solutions.
• Guide and mentor cross-functional teams on high-visibility projects.
• Translate contractual and customer requirements into technical direction.
• Assist in part family qualification processes aligned with strategy.
• Support AME leadership in proposals, ROMs, and technical quotes.
• Contribute to product development process improvements and RCA activities.
• Drive efficiency, reduce risk, and ensure compliance with standards.

Skills

Leadership

FMEA & risk analysis

Root cause analysis

Government contracting

Project leadership

Engineering judgement

Reverse engineering

Manufacturing processes knowledge

Agile environment

Mentoring engineers

Technical proposal support

Cross-functional collaboration

Documentation & reporting

Stakeholder communication

Self-motivation

Team player

U.S. citizenship

Education

BS degree in mechanical, aerospace engineering or related field

Job description

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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:

• 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

Informed by its Catholic and Marianist mission, the University is committed to the dignity of every human being. Informed by this commitment, we seek to increase diversity in all of its forms, achieve fair outcomes, and model inclusion across our campus community. The University is committed to policies of affirmative action designed to increase the employment opportunities of individuals with disabilities and protected veterans in compliance with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1973.