Lead Mechanical Engineer

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At Leidos, we deliver innovative solutions through the efforts of our diverse and talented people who are dedicated to our customers’ success. We empower our teams, contribute to our communities, and operate sustainable. Everything we do is built on a commitment to do the right thing for our customers, our people, and our community. Our Mission, Vision, and Values guide the way we do business.

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Leidos Defense provides a diverse portfolio of systems, solutions, and services covering land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace for customers worldwide. Solutions for Defense include enterprise and mission IT, large-scale intelligence systems, command and control, geospatial and data analytics, cybersecurity, logistics, training, and intelligence analysis and operations support. Our team is solving the world’s toughest security challenges for customers with “can’t fail” missions.

Leidos Defense is seeking a talented Lead Mechanical Engineer for its Hypersonics line of business. With offices across the United States engaging in the defense, space, cyber and commercial fields, Leidos provides responsive, cost-effective engineering, scientific and IT solutions. The selected candidate will support the Thermal Protection System (TPS) program of the Common Hypersonic Glide Body (CHGB). The CHGB is the Army’s #1 priority for strategic weapons capability for long-range precision fires and will counter and gain a lead on our adversaries' technological advances in this field. Come join us in this exciting, cutting-edge field!

A successful candidate will develop a strong understanding of product requirements and work closely with manufacturing teams to solve multidisciplinary problems in a fast-paced, low-rate initial production (LRIP) environment. The candidate will apply technical knowledge, experience, and sound engineering judgment across assigned areas to identify issues, evaluate solutions, and drive issues to resolution for the products they support.

This role will provide broad exposure to the processes and key characteristics of assigned product lines while requiring coordination across multiple disciplines, including design engineering, manufacturing engineering, process control, and Material Review Board (MRB) activities. The candidate will also collaborate with suppliers to resolve technical and production issues and drive continuous improvement and cost-reduction initiatives.

A primary measure of success in this role is effectively supporting the production team in achieving on-time delivery of compliant products with complete flight traceability.

Candidate will need to support second-shift manufacturing operations (3:00 PM–11:00 PM CST) for approximately the first nine months of the role, transitioning to first-shift operations support (7:00 AM–3:00 PM CST) thereafter, with occasional second-shift support (~5% of the time). Approximately 20% of the time will be spent traveling to the Colorado Springs, CO based manufacturing location.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate mechanical engineering activities for the Thermal Protection System.

• Work with the design agent to incorporate design changes that enhance manufacturability, quality, and production efficiency.

• Collaborate with operations teams to identify and resolve technical issues and production bottlenecks impacting manufacturing flow and delivery.

• Work closely with manufacturing engineering to develop and refine work instructions, streamline processes, and optimize production operations.

• Provide direct support to technicians during Thermal Protection System installation and integration activities, including periodic onsite work within classified environments (~10% of time).

• Disposition nonconforming hardware and support Root Cause and Corrective Action (RCCA) investigations.

• Support the Failure Review Board (FRB) process to resolve technical issues.

• Interface with customers and internal stakeholders to communicate technical status, engineering activities, and manufacturing issues.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from an ABET-accredited institution with 4+ years of relevant experience, a Master’s degree in Engineering with 2+ years of relevant experience, or a high school diploma with 8+ years of relevant experience.

• Familiarity with 3D CAD tools such as Creo, CATIA, AutoCAD, or SolidWorks.

• Working knowledge of ASME Y14.5 Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) principles, including the ability to perform tolerance stack-up analyses.

• Understanding of engineering drawings, specifications, and configuration management processes.

• Experience identifying, troubleshooting, and resolving technical issues in a manufacturing or production environment.

• Must be comfortable working in a fast-paced environment, managing multiple projects and assignments while meeting challenging deadlines.

• Strong attention to detail, analytical thinking, and problem-solving skills.

• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.

• Self-starter with a demonstrated ability to work independently, collaborate effectively across multidisciplinary teams, and provide technical guidance to others as needed.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

• Ability to travel to the Colorado Springs, CO based manufacturing location up to 20% of the time.

• Ability to support second-shift manufacturing operations (3:00 PM–11:00 PM CST) for approximately the first nine months of the role, with occasional second-shift support (~5% of the time) thereafter.

• Ability to obtain and maintain and DoD Secret clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Active Secret security clearance.

• Experience supporting DoD programs related to missile systems, reentry vehicles, or hypersonic technologies.

• Experience with the design, integration, or manufacturing of Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) for hypersonic vehicles.

• Experience in composite design, analysis, or manufacturing.

• Experience supporting assembly, integration, or testing of missile systems.

• Experience supporting rapid development, prototyping, or fast-paced engineering programs.

• Familiarity with AS9100 aerospace quality management systems.

• Understanding of cost, schedule, and programmatic impacts associated with engineering deliverables.

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares.

Original Posting:

September 1, 2026

Pay Range:

Pay Range $87,100.00 - $157,450.00

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.