Job Information
University of Washington PRINCIPAL MECHANICAL ENGINEER in Seattle, Washington
Req #: 228082
Department: APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY
Posting Date: 10/23/2023
Closing Info: Open Until Filled
Salary: $12,000 - $16,000 per month
Shift: First Shift
Notes: As a UW employee, you will enjoy generous benefits and work/life programs. For a complete description of our benefits for this position, please visit our website, click here. (https://hr.uw.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2018/02/benefits-professional-staff-librarians-academic-staff-20230119_a11y.pdf)
As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state, and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills, and dedication to building stronger minds and a healthier world.
UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities, and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits, and natural beauty.
The Electronic and Photonic Systems team at the Applied Physics Laboratory at the University of Washington is hiring – see yourself at APL!
The Applied Physics Laboratory is a research unit at the University of Washington. Our research expertise is in ocean physics and engineering, ocean and medical acoustics, polar science, environmental remote sensing, and signal processing. We conduct research and development that is sponsored by a variety of federal and state agencies and take great pride in our long-standing status as a US Navy-designated University Affiliated Research Center (UARC). Our work takes place not only on the University of Washington campus and medical centers, but in field locations around the world – at sea, in the air, and on polar ice caps. We apply rigorous scientific inquiry and engineering excellence in pursuit of solutions to important problems for the good of our region, nation, and world.
Diversity is a core value at the University of Washington and the Applied Physics Laboratory shares this commitment. We are focused on building and sustaining an inclusive and equitable research environment for all students, staff, and collaborators. We believe every member of our team enriches our community by exposing us to a broad range of ways to understand and engage with the world, identify challenges, and discover, design, and deliver solutions.
APL is hiring a Principal Mechanical Engineer to work on cutting-edge applied ocean projects for a diverse set of customers and applications. The successful candidate will be part of an integrated engineering team that designs, builds, installs, operates, and maintains complex electrical/mechanical systems to solve challenging problems in novel ways. The incumbent hired will be responsible for the mechanical design, testing, and production of highly integrated ocean instrumentation packages. This position will be responsible for analyzing requirements, presenting material at formal design reviews, and documenting designed systems.
The incumbent must have advanced knowledge of the complexities and requirements of designing, documenting, fabricating, assembling, and testing systems to have the reliability and ruggedness necessary to be installed and operated for decades in harsh and demanding environments with very little maintenance. Environmental considerations in designing deep sea pressure housings include thermal heat dissipation, external pressure, corrosion, load analysis, and overall mechanical strength. The candidate must create unique solutions to meet all the technical requirements and for safety deploying the system from a ship.
The Principal Mechanical Engineer has full technical responsibility for specific aspects (sub-projects or tasks) of the larger program. This position will have wide latitude to determine the direction, design, approach, method, and work plan, and is responsible for implementing the plan and executing it successfully and in a timely manner, including directing teams of other engineers and fabricators. This position also coordinates activities with leads from other aspects of the program. The incumbent interacts with the programs’ Program Managers and the programs’ sponsors to gather requirements, to confer throughout the design, fabrication, and testing process, and also onsite/at sea with the PM or sponsor as the systems are deployed. The incumbent is the EPS representative to the PM and sponsors for their area of knowledge and technical expertise.
Major Duties and Responsibilities: Mechanical Engineering Design & Analysis: • Analyze system mechanical requirements to ensure designs are suitable for the ship deployment and installation environment. • Use 3D CAD software packages to design subsea pressure housings to survive system life under extreme pressures. • Design mechanical frames to be deployed using oceanographic ships, winches, acoustic releases, and ROVs. • Design cable termination systems to allow for the deployment of equipment attached to cables using cable installation ships. • Design deep water moored buoy systems including buoyance packages, anchor systems, cable specification, and terminations. • Analyze the performance of deep-water buoy systems for stability under various water column velocity conditions. • Analyze material suitability for deployed environments considering galvanic and chemical corrosion. • Work with deployment ship staff to design detailed and safe installation procedures for mechanical systems. • Perform stress and thermal analysis using both analysis software and empirical equations.
Build, Test, Install, and Maintain: • Supervise CAD engineers to ensure the manufacturing packages are accurate. • Direct the APL Machine Shop and outside vendors in the fabrication, assembly, integration, and testing of systems and parts. • As needed, test prototypes and first-article units to verify they meet requirements. • Specify and procure commercial off-the-shelf mechanical materials, parts, and assemblies. • Test parts and final assemblies to ensure they meet the overall system requirements and are built to print. • Oversee installation of oceanographic equipment in the field, performing complicated operations and maintenance in the field.
Project Management: • Develop, and then implement the plan for engineering-related work, including management of timeline, budget, and schedule of deliverables. • Provide direction to researchers in the execution of sponsored research activities (e.g., feasibility of design, engineering, or fabrication concepts; use of alternative engineering approaches; recommendations for future design improvements). • Create and present detailed mechanical subsystem designs at programmatic reviews.
Requirements: Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related engineering field and 8 or more years of experience designing electrical mechanical systems. • US Citizenship. • Eligible to obtain and maintain a federal security clearance. • SolidWorks solid modeling computer-aided design. • Proficient in the creation of mechanical drawings. • Proficient in the use of ASME Y14.5-2009 GD&T standards. • Ability to work with machine shop technicians to monitor part fabrication. • Heat transfer in electronics systems. • Ability to create assembly documentation. • Simulation of mechanical systems using computer tools. • Demonstrated excellent organizational skills, including: o Documentation - to maintain and expand system procedures and configuration control. o Attention to detail - to ensure the system is operated at a high level of availability and in a reliable and consistent manner. o Communication skills - to support all members of the team on a daily basis and to be able to effectively work in high-pressure situations dealing with at-sea ship operations or quickly troubleshooting systems in collaboration with all members of the diverse team. • Time management – to effectively prioritize diverse task lists and operational needs of the team. • System requirements analysis. Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.
The person hired into this position must be a U.S. citizen and successfully obtain and continue to maintain a Department of Defense (DOD) Personnel Security Clearance. The process for obtaining a DOD Security Clearance can be view using the following links: Processing Applicants (dcsa.mil) or General Investigations and Clearance Processes (dcsa.mil) (https://www.dcsa.mil/mc/pv/mbi/gicp/) Desired: • Complete understanding of design criteria for subsea pressure housings. • Experience building scientific instrumentation. • Experience in ocean engineering design. • Experience with hydraulic system design. • Fluid dynamics analysis. • Experience using Solidworks PDM Vault. • Packaging of electronic systems including CPU, interface card, and power electronics. • Ability to meet the physical requirements necessary to work at sea in small to large vessels for extended periods and willing to perform the required duties aboard ships. • Familiarity with the systems engineering process. • AutoCAD.
Application Process: The application process may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process.These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment, you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.
University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, among other things, race, religion, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.