Senior Mechanical Engineer - Thermal & Structural Analysis

Job ID: 115541

DRS Daylight Solutions business provides industry-changing mid-infrared laser light technology for government and commercial markets, including: defense and security; life sciences; and industrial process control. As a mid-IR technology pioneer, Daylight Solutions has delivered more mid-IR systems to more applications world-wide than any other company.

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Business Unit: Daylight Solutions
Location: San Diego
Career Functional Area: Engineering
Telework Type: Onsite
Relocation Available: Yes
Type:Full Time Permanent
Schedule: 9/80
Shift: 1st

Job Summary

The Senior Mechanical Engineer - Thermal & Structural Analysis at Daylight Solutions will be responsible for advanced simulation and analysis to predict structural, thermal, and coupled physics behavior of electro-optical and laser systems. This position will leverage expertise across finite element analysis, load & boundary definition, and test correlation to support the design and development of opto-mechanical assemblies for challenging environments. Collaborating with interdisciplinary teams, this position offers the opportunity to innovate and lead technical initiatives critical to product advancement in the aerospace, defense, and scientific sectors.

Job Responsibilities

• Perform advanced FEA tasks, including static, dynamic, modal, random vibration, and transient & steady state thermal analysis.
• Develop, prepare, and validate load scenarios, boundary conditions, meshing strategies, and material properties for high-fidelity models.
• Execute coupled loads analyses where mechanical, thermal, and flow effects interact.
• Correlate simulation results with experimental data to refine models and validate performance.
• Collaborate with optical and mechanical engineers to support Structural-Thermal-Optical (STOP) analysis to ensure system-level optical requirements are met.
• Support environmental testing of hardware, including vibration, shock, and thermal testing.
• Investigate product problems and provide corrective actions that improve yield and predictability.
• Present technical findings and recommendations to cross-disciplinary teams and stakeholders.
• Maintain and improve analysis workflows, automation, and reusable templates.
• Provide mentorship to junior engineers and foster the development of engineering continuous improvement initiatives.

The Ideal Candidate will have:

• Proficiency with ANSYS toolchain for the analyses in this role, including ANSYS Mechanical (Structural), ANSYS Workbench, and ANSYS Fluent (CFD), with the ability to build, solve, post-process, and package review-ready engineering artifacts.
• Experience with scripting and analysis automation (e.g., Python, APDL, MATLAB) and with managing compute resources for large simulation workloads
• Opto-mechanical and electro-optic hardware experience is highly desirable. Experience with modelling adhesive bonds a plus
• Proven ability to analyze and qualify designs subjected to thermal, shock, and vibration environments as defined in MIL-STD-810.
• Experience performing Structural-Thermal-Optical (STOP) analysis for optical systems is highly desirable. Experience with SigFit & Zemax a plus.
• Experience with CFD and flow analysis for convective cooling, purge flows design.
• Proficient with CAD a plus. SolidWork preferred.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects effectively and independently, demonstrating strong organizational and time-management skills.
• Exceptional communication and collaboration skills to convey findings effectively to technical and non-technical audiences.

• Experience using FEA tools such as ANSYS Workbench.
• Deep expertise of structural, dynamic, and thermal analysis, including boundary conditions, meshing, and material properties.
• Understanding of shock, vibration, thermal stress, and environmental qualification methods.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering (or related field) with 5+ years of experience; Master’s or PhD in relevant field may be substituted for years of industry experience.

• Fluency in technologies and application domain

• Ability to lead a technical group independently

U.S. Citizenship required. This position requires an active DOD security clearance or the ability to obtain such clearance within a reasonable time after commencement of employment.

The salary range for this position is $107,089/year- $166,255/year. This range reflects the good faith estimate of pay the employer is willing to offer at the time of posting. Several factors can influence the pay scale, including but not limited to: Federal contract labor categories and contract wage rates, collective bargaining agreements, geographic location, business considerations, scope, and responsibilities of the position, local or other applicable market conditions, and internal equity. Other factors include the candidate’s qualifications such as prior work experience, specific skills and competencies, education/training, and certifications. In addition to base pay, employees may be eligible for: annual performance-based bonuses, equity awards, and overtime pay (for non-exempt employees as applicable. Our benefits package includes comprehensive health insurance (medical, dental, vision), employer matching 401(k) retirement plan, paid time off including vacation, holidays, and sick leave (including ant state-mandated paid sick leave), parental leave benefits, tuition reimbursement, professional development support, and life and disability insurance coverage.

Taking care of our people is a top priority at Leonardo DRS. We are proud to offer competitive salaries and comprehensive benefits, including medical, dental, and vision coverage, a company contribution to a health savings account, telemedicine, life and disability insurance, legal insurance, and a 401(k) savings plan. We champion wellness programs that focus on physical, emotional, and financial well-being. We develop our talent by offering programs and activities to support career-growth, professional development, and skill enhancement. And we understand there is more to life than work, and the importance of offering flexible work schedules with our 9/80 program, competitive vacation, health/emergency leave, paid parental leave, and community service hours.
*Some employees are eligible for limited benefits only

Leonardo DRS, Inc. and its subsidiaries provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.