Sr. Principal Mechanical Design Engineer

Safran S.A.; Rockford (IL); On-site; USD 125,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Safran Electronics & Defense in Rockford, IL, seeks a Senior Principal Mechanical Design Engineer with hydraulics experience to lead design and analysis of rotary and linear actuation for civil and military programs. You will apply robust design methods, coordinate with multiple teams, and ensure DO-160 aviation standards are met.

You’ll mentor junior engineers, develop specifications and test procedures, oversee vendor qualification, and drive root-cause investigations across the product

Qualifications

• Bachelor's in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering with 10+ years of related experience.
• U.S. Citizenship required; ITAR controls apply.
• Experience with hydraulic actuation design and system integration.
• Ability to coordinate across multiple engineering disciplines.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to mechanical and hydraulic actuation product design to aerospace standards including DO-160.
• Coordinate across Actuation System Business Units for optimization.
• Generate design documentation, requirements, test procedures and reports.
• Support vendor qualification and product acceptance throughout lifecycle.
• Lead root cause investigations across functional boundaries.
• Prepare production drawings and layouts for parts and test equipment.

Skills

Hydraulic design

CFD analysis

Rotary/linear actuation

NX CAD

Hydraulic valves

Hydraulic motors

Gearbox design

Mathematical modeling

Data analysis

MATLAB

Communication skills

Team collaboration

MS Office

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Advanced degree in related field

Tools

NX CAD

MS Office

MATLAB

Job description

Published 08.09.2026 Company : Safran Electronics & Defense Job field : Mechanics Location : Rockford , Illinois , United States Contract type : Permanent Contract duration : Full-time Required degree : Bachelor's Degree Required experience : More than 8 years Professional status : Professional, Engineer & Manager Salary range : $125,000 - $170,000 based on experience ITAR : ITAR Controlled positionPublished 08.09.2026Job DescriptionPosition Overview:This position is for a Senior Principal Mechanical Design Engineer – particularly with hydraulic component and system integration experience and a keen interest in the design, analysis, and application of a variety of hydraulic components. This person will demonstrate experience in all aspects of development process and is considered a subject matter expert recognized in Actuation products. The role's primary focus will require significant experience in the design and development of rotary and linear actuation products in the Civil and Military Defense industries. The applicant will principles and techniques of mechanical engineering to ensure design preparation is in accordance with applicable specifications, customer requirements and standard work practices; interfaces with various functional groups to coordinate conceptual, preliminary, and detailed unit design, engineering documentation releases, development testing, qualification testing, and entry into service.This individual must be an analytical thinker and be disciplined in ing robust design methodologies and engineering principles (modeling, simulation, data acquisition etc.) to develop and realize solutions.Primary Responsibilities:-Contribute to the design effort for mechanical and hydraulic actuation products and systems. These designs will be to Aerospace standard including but not limited to RTCA/DO-160.-Innovates to improve technical solutions and/or processes while working with limited oversight-Mentors and delegates to junior employees-Customer focal in certain elements of development-Evaluate and analyze mechanical hardware to determine relevancy and cost effectiveness for incorporation into current and future products-Coordinate/Collaborate across the Actuation System Business Units to identify opportunities for commonization and optimization of product and process-Generate design documentation including requirements specifications, design details, test procedures and reports.-Support the selection and coordination of product vendors throughout the entire product lifecycle to include vendor qualification, issue resolution, and product acceptance-Manage, execute, document, and present the results of Relentless Root Cause -Corrective Action investigations crossing functional boundaries-Prepare and review the drawings and layouts for production parts and test equipment.Job RequirementsExperience/Qualifications• Hydraulic circuit layout, design, and hydraulic loss / leakage evaluation experience• Hydraulic valve design, tailoring, and application experience• Hydraulic motor design and application experience (fixed, variable, over-center)• CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) experience• Gearbox, load limiter, drive shaft, asymmetry brake design application experience• Rotary and linear actuator design and application experience• NX software experience• There will be some computer work and drawing interpretation, as well as a familiarity with schematics or Engineering drawings.• Ability to advanced mathematical concepts.• Evaluate concepts by creating analytical models and provide direction on which concept will meet component and or system level performance.• Provide analysis support throughout the development of a product/concept• Analyze data and performance of designs, recommend actions to create optimized design• Interact cross-functionally with a wide variety of people and teams. Work closely with engineers to identify opportunities for design improvements.• Fundamental typing skills as well as familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite and MATLAB.• Exceptional written and oral communication skills• Demonstrated ability to stand out, overcome barriers and deliver results.• Demonstrable critical thinking and analytical skills, including the ability and confidence to make conclusions and recommendations from data• Work with a team of engineers to design, develop, test and document mechanical components.• Ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneouslyEducationBachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering and a minimum of 10 years of prior relevant experience unless prohibited by local laws/regulations Advanced Degree in a related field and minimum 8 years experience OR In absence of a degree, 12 years of relevant experience is required U.S. Citizenship requiredBut what else? (advantages, specific features, etc.)Travel requirements up to 10%Company InformationSafran is an international high-technology group operating in the fields of aerospace (propulsion, equipment and interiors), space and defense. Its mission is to contribute sustainably to a safer world, where air transport becomes ever more environmentally friendly, comfortable and accessible. Present on every continent, the Group employs 110,000 people and generated €31.3 billion in revenue in 2025. Safran holds, either independently or through partnerships, leading global or European positions in its markets.Safran was ranked second in the Aerospace & Defense sector in TIME magazine's ""World's Best Companies 2025"" ranking.Safran Electronics & Defense is an international company with more than 19,000 employees who bring together expertise and team spirit to design high-technology solutions for the aerospace, defense and space sectors. By combining human and technological intelligence, the company develops products and services for both civil and military customers, operating on land, at sea, in the air and in space.Locate your future workplace4747 Harrison Ave, M/S 298-6 61108RockfordIllinois United States