Senior Mechanical/Thermal Engineer

Leidos; Albuquerque (NM); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Leidos in Albuquerque, NM is seeking a Senior Mechanical/Thermal Engineer to join the Directed Energy team. You will drive designs from concept through fabrication, assembly and test, focusing on thermal analysis and cooling system development.

The role requires independent work, cross-disciplinary communication, and collaboration with machinists, fabricators, vendors, and engineers to deliver robust hardware for advanced directed energy systems. On-site with potential occasional telework.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering with 8+ years experience or master’s with 6+ years.
• Strong background in thermal analysis and thermal controls.
• Experience taking designs from concept to fabrication, assembly and test.
• Ability to work independently and communicate across disciplines.

Responsibilities

• Create 3D models and detailed mechanical designs from concept to fabrication and test.
• Perform engineering analysis to support design decisions.
• Develop drawings with tolerances and manufacturability requirements.
• Collaborate with machinists, fabricators, vendors and engineers.
• Capture cooling requirements and design thermal control systems.
• Supervise construction and test of cooling equipment.
• Document designs, generate BOMs, and coordinate purchases.
• Provide technical leadership for mechanical subsystems.
• Conduct thermal and CFD analyses to quantify heat removal.

Skills

Thermal analysis

Mechanical design

3D CAD

FEA

CFD

Thermal controls

Leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering

Master’s degree (preferred)

Tools

CAD software

FEA software

CFD software

Job description

Description

Leidos is seeking a Senior Mechanical/Thermal Engineer to join our Directed Energy team in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The ideal candidate will have a background in thermal analysis, engineering design, and thermal controls.

The successful candidate will work with a multidisciplinary team of engineers, scientists, technicians, and fabricators in a research and development environment supporting advanced directed energy technologies, including high-power microwave, RF, electromagnetic, and pulsed-power systems.

Please note: This position is located on-site in Albuquerque, NM. There may be opportunity to telework occasionally.

Primary Responsibilities:

The engineer will be responsible for taking mechanical designs from concept through detailed design, fabrication, assembly, integration, and test. The position requires an individual who can work independently, communicate effectively across technical disciplines, and collaborate closely with machinists, fabricators, vendors, and other engineers to develop robust, manufacturable hardware.

Secondary responsibility for capturing cooling requirements for directed energy systems, developing thermal control systems that satisfy those requirements, supervising their construction, and conducting testing and troubleshooting on cooling equipment to verify performance. Duties may include documenting designs and presenting them to the customers, generating bills of materials and coordinating their purchase, auditing as-build systems for compliance to design, and documenting test results.

• Create 3D solid models and detailed mechanical designs for innovative hardware, equipment, and systems, carrying designs from initial requirements and concepts through fabrication, assembly, integration, and testing.
• Perform appropriate engineering analysis to support design decisions and verify mechanical performance.
• Create and maintain engineering drawings, including appropriate dimensions, tolerances, and other manufacturing requirements, in accordance with company standards and customer specifications.
• Design hardware with consideration for manufacturability, material selection, machining, welding, fabrication, assembly, and maintenance requirements.
• Work directly with Leidos machinists, fabricators, technicians, and external vendors to develop, procure, and support fabrication of mechanical components and assemblies.
• Resolve design, fabrication, assembly, and testing issues by developing practical and effective mechanical solutions.
• Support hands-on assembly, integration, troubleshooting, modification, and testing of prototype and experimental hardware.
• Collaborate with engineers and scientists from multiple technical disciplines to develop mechanical interfaces and integrated system solutions.
• Manage multiple engineering tasks and projects while effectively balancing technical requirements, schedules, and priorities.
• Communicate technical concepts, design decisions, and status effectively to engineering teams, project leadership, customers, and manufacturing personnel.
• Provide technical leadership for significant mechanical subsystems or projects, including establishing mechanical approaches, interfaces, and solutions for complex multidisciplinary problems.
• Collaborate with customers, engineers, and technicians to develop cooling requirements
• Conduct FEA thermal analysis to quantify heat loads and cooling needs.
• Design cold plates and heat exchangers to manage heat flow.
• Conduct CFD analysis to calculate flow rates, pressure drop and heat removal.
• Size commercial heat exchangers, fluid pumps and fans in accordance with thermal requirements and analysis.
• Develop 3D models, drawings and flow diagrams to document the design of thermal control systems.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or closely related field with 8+ years of experience or a master’s degree with 6+ years