Staff Engineer, Actuated Systems (RX) (R6001)

Dallas · USD 142,880-214,320 / year · Onsite · Posted Sep 22, 2026

At a glance

As a Staff Actuated Systems Engineer, you will take hands-on technical ownership of the mechanical design, layout, and integration of actuation systems for a Group 5 UAV fighter aircraft.
You will apply first-principles engineering to develop buildable actuator installations, mature mechanism layouts, and drive detailed hardware design through release, test, and vehicle integration.

Develop and mature system layouts and installation concepts for actuators, mechanisms, linkages, brackets, mounting provisions, and associated hardware within vehicle packaging constraints.
Own detailed CAD design of actuated systems hardware from concept through drawing release, including load paths, materials, interfaces, GD&T, and tolerance stack-ups.
Perform actuator sizing, kinematic layout, and installation analysis for flight control surfaces, bay doors, and other airframe mechanisms.
Perform hand calculations and basic FEA to substantiate brackets, mounts, linkages, and mechanical installation hardware.
Define and resolve installation interfaces with structures, EWIS, EPS, thermal management, and adjacent systems, including routing, clearances, and maintainability provisions.
Develop and maintain CAD models, drawings, interface definitions, and design data packages to program standards for SRR, PDR, and CDR.
Support component selection, technical specifications, supplier technical execution, prototype assembly, and mechanical test-fixture development.
Define and execute qualification test plans per MIL-STD-810, using results to mature the design into production-ready hardware and support MIL-HDBK-516 Airworthiness Certification.

US Citizens Only & Must have an Active Secret or higher clearance.
B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
Deep mastery of mechanical design, kinematics, load paths, materials selection, GD&T, and tolerance stack-up methodologies.
Demonstrated capability performing closed-form hand calculations and basic FEA for mechanisms, brackets, mounts, and structural installation components.
Extensive experience in 3D CAD modeling, mechanical layouts, and drawing release, with Siemens NX, CATIA, Creo, or equivalent PLM workflows.
Demonstrated ability to develop actuator and mechanism installations that satisfy packaging, load, clearance, maintainability, and vehicle-interface requirements.
Proven track record sourcing COTS/custom aerospace components, driving suppliers to schedule, and assembling benchtop or vehicle-level test setups.
Demonstrated ability to self-direct, prioritize technical tasks without oversight, and deliver functional hardware under tight timelines.

Aircraft flight control actuation, weapons bay door, landing gear, or other deployable-mechanism design experience.
Experience with electro-mechanical or electro-hydrostatic actuation systems.
Familiarity with MIL-HDBK-516, MIL-STD-810, and airworthiness verification planning for mechanical systems.
Hands-on machine shop, fabrication, mechanical assembly, or prototype-build experience in a rapid R&D environment.