Lead, Electromechanical Actuation System Design Engineer

L3Harris is dedicated to recruiting and developing high-performing talent who are passionate about what they do. Our employees are unified in a shared dedication to our customers’ mission and quest for professional growth. L3Harris provides an inclusive, engaging environment designed to empower employees and promote work-life success. Fundamental to our culture is an unwavering focus on values, dedication to our communities, and commitment to excellence in everything we do.

L3Harris is the Trusted Disruptor in defense tech. With customers’ mission-critical needs always in mind, our employees deliver end-to-end technology solutions connecting the space, air, land, sea and cyber domains in the interest of national security.

• Lead the design and development of electromechanical actuation systems for aerospace and defense platforms.
• Translate customer, system, and subsystem requirements into actuation system architectures, detailed designs, and producible hardware solutions.
• Perform concept development, trade studies, and system sizing analyses considering torque, speed, load, duty cycle, reflected inertia, efficiency, mass properties, packaging, reliability, producibility, and cost.
• Develop and integrate electromechanical actuation system elements.
• Develop actuation system architectures for both linear motion applications, including mechanism selection, packaging, interface definition, and load transfer strategies.
• Perform dynamic performance assessments of actuation systems, including response time, bandwidth, damping, stiffness, resonance behavior, overshoot, settling time, backlash effects, positional accuracy, disturbance response, and stability-related mechanical influences.
• Apply control theory fundamentals to support closed-loop system integration, including understanding of feedback behavior, controllability, stability margins, and interactions between the actuator, mechanism, drive electronics, sensors, and the controlled plant.
• Support motor, transmission, and mechanism sizing through evaluation of mission profiles, transient events, startup conditions, shock loads, duty cycles, thermal limits, and operational scenarios.
• Perform or guide engineering analyses
• Develop 3D CAD models, detailed drawings, and complete engineering definition packages.
• Support hardware procurement, prototype builds, system integration, troubleshooting, and design maturation activities.
• Lead or support verification testing, qualification testing, failure investigations, and root cause/corrective action efforts.
• Collaborate with systems, electrical, controls, software, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and test engineering teams to ensure successful design execution and transition to production.
• Lead or support technical reviews, peer reviews, design reviews, customer presentations, proposal efforts, and risk assessments.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to other engineers and contribute to engineering best practices, standard work, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Support production and fielded hardware, including nonconformance review, supplier technical coordination, and issue resolution as needed.
• Ensure designs are compliant with applicable customer, program, company, aerospace, and defense standards and processes.
• Ability to obtain a U.S. Secret Clearance

• Bachelor’s Degree and minimum 9 years of prior relevant mechanical engineering experience or Graduate Degree and minimum 7 years of prior related experience. In lieu of a degree, minimum of 13 years of prior related experience.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related discipline; Master’s Degree preferred.
• Experience in the design and development of electromechanical actuation systems, servo-mechanical systems, precision mechanisms, or related aerospace/mechanical hardware.
• Background in machine design, including gears, bearings, shafts, fasteners, fits, lubrication methods, and power transmission components.
• Experience performing system sizing and performance calculations including torque, speed, inertia, reflected load, efficiency, duty cycle, life, and load case development.
• Experience evaluating dynamic mechanical performance, including stiffness, resonance, backlash, vibration sensitivity, and positional behavior.
• Working knowledge of control theory fundamentals and electromechanical system interaction with closed-loop control systems.
• Proficiency with 3D CAD modeling and engineering drawing generation.
• Working knowledge of GD&T, tolerance stack-up analysis, and manufacturing/producibility considerations.
• Experience supporting hardware through prototype fabrication, integration, testing, and design maturation.
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills and ability to work effectively in cross-functional teams.
• Direct experience designing high-reliability electromechanical actuation systems for aerospace or defense applications.
• Experience with flight-critical, mission-critical, or safety-critical hardware.
• Familiarity with aerospace and defense development environments and standards
• Experience with FEA and analytical methods for structural, thermal, and dynamic system evaluation.
• Knowledge of servo systems, motor/drive integration, feedback sensors, and closed-loop electromechanical positioning systems.
• Experience supporting environmental testing, qualification testing, and failure analysis.
• Experience transitioning hardware from development into low-rate or full-rate production.
• Demonstrated technical leadership on complex mechanical or electromechanical development efforts.
• Active U.S. Secret security clearance or higher.

L3Harris Technologies is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. L3Harris is committed to treating all employees and applicants for employment with respect and dignity and maintaining a workplace that is free from unlawful discrimination. All applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or other related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, disability, genetic information, citizenship status, characteristic or membership in any other group protected by federal, state or local laws. L3Harris maintains a drug-free workplace and performs pre-employment substance abuse testing and background checks, where permitted by law.

Please be aware many of our positions require the ability to obtain a security clearance. Security clearances may only be granted to U.S. citizens. In addition, applicants who accept a conditional offer of employment may be subject to government security investigation(s) and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.

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Work for Warriors is a no-cost employment program of the California Military Department for Service Members, Veterans, and military family members. The Veteran Staffing Consultant for L3Harris is Chuck Callahan.