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Manager, Aerospace Mechanical Engineer

L3Harris

Ashburn, VAJob$122–227K/yrSeen 2w agoSeen in employer's feed 2 days ago

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At a glance

Compensation
$122–227K/yr
Location
Ashburn, VA
Work Authorization
Citizenship required

Olive focuses on jobs in the United States, including remote roles you can work from there.

Requirements

Credentials this posting asks for.

Secret clearance, required

Job overview

L3Harris seeks a Mechanical Engineering Manager to lead a team designing unmanned aircraft products while contributing directly to program work. The role combines mechanical product development—including requirements derivation, CAD modeling, analysis, manufacturing, and testing—with functional management, employee development, and cross-program coordination. The manager oversees design efforts, reviews, subsystem execution, customer interfaces, and risk mitigation. Prior aircraft structures experience and PTC Creo are preferred.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Mechanical Engineering, requiredUnmanned Aircraft Design, nice to haveCAD Modeling, nice to haveTrade Studies, nice to haveStructural Analysis, nice to haveThermal Analysis, nice to haveElectromechanical Integration, nice to haveElectronics Packaging, nice to haveMechanical Design, nice to haveDesign Reviews, nice to haveCost Estimation, nice to haveCustomer Relations, nice to haveMentoring, nice to haveRisk Assessment, nice to haveTeam Management, nice to haveAircraft Structures, nice to haveMilitary Environment Testing, nice to havePTC Creo, nice to haveCATIA, nice to haveNX, nice to haveSolidWorks, nice to haveRequirements Analysis, nice to haveSpecification Generation, nice to haveInterface Definition, nice to haveComponent Selection, nice to haveData Collection, nice to haveProduct Documentation, nice to haveComplex Mechanism Diagnosis, nice to haveMultidisciplinary Collaboration, nice to have

Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree or Equivalent Experience, required9 Years Mechanical Engineering Experience, requiredGraduate Degree or Equivalent Experience, required7 Years Mechanical Engineering Experience, required13 Years Mechanical Engineering Experience, required8 Years Mechanical Design Experience, nice to have3 Years Team Leadership Experience, nice to have5+ Years 3D CAD Modeling Experience, nice to haveAbility to Obtain US Secret Clearance, required

Benefits

Medical Insurance
401(k) Match
Tuition Assistance
Parental Leave
Paid Time Off

Full job description

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.

Job Title: Manager, Aerospace Mechanical Engineer

Job Code: 46498

Job Location: Ashburn, VA

Job Schedule: 9/80 - Employees work 9 out of every 14 days – totaling 80 hours worked – and have every other Friday off

Job Description:

The Agile Development Group (ADG) specializes in developing disruptive, next-generation technologies for advanced Unmanned Air Systems (UAS / UAV), advanced radar systems, next-generation weapon systems, and other RF sensor technologies using small company agility and big company experience.

As a Mechanical Engineering Manager, you will oversee a team of Mechanical Engineers who are tasked with designing our Unmanned Aircraft products. In this position, you will be working alongside your team members on direct program work for approximately 75% of your time, and providing functional management oversight of those same employees, as well as other functional leadership responsibilities, for the remainder of your time. You will use your leadership skills and personal initiative to build and maintain a highly competent and agile Mechanical Engineering team. You will have regular interactions with your team members to help foster their career growth and ensure their job satisfaction. As a technical contributor, you will use your expertise in product development to help design and productionize our family of unmanned aircraft systems. This will include tasks such as requirements derivation, CAD modeling, analysis, manufacturing, and testing. You will use your networking abilities to build trusting relationships and lines of communication across multiple programs to help drive the performance and execution efficiency of your direct reports.

Essential Functions:

Direct tasking (75% of Duties):

  • Conceptual and detail design of unmanned aircraft and their supporting systems, including structures and internal packaging.

  • Significant CAD modeling of parts & assemblies.

  • Perform trade studies to determine optimal designs.

  • Structural and thermal analysis of components & assemblies.

  • Electromechanical integration and electronics packaging.

  • Lead mechanical design efforts.

  • Lead peer reviews, PDRs, CDRs, and other required design reviews.

  • Schedule, cost, and technical responsibility at the major subsystem level.

  • Cost estimation for proposals.

  • Primary interface to customers & upper management.

  • Provide guidance and mentorship for other team members formally or informally.

  • Responsible to direct and review the work of junior engineers and designers and technicians.

  • Participate in risk assessment and develop mitigation strategies for complex projects.

  • Ability to obtain a US Secret Security clearance

  • Up to 10% travel may be required

Managerial Tasking:

  • Manage a team of 6-10 Mechanical Engineers and Designers by recruiting, selecting, orienting, planning, and training employees. Coach, counsel, monitor, and appraise staff performance.

  • Promote the career progression of your direct reports.

  • Promote employee engagement – help make this a great place to work!

  • Coordinate staffing needs for programs. Interview and hire as needed.

  • Conduct performance reviews and solicit peer feedback about you team’s performance.

  • Contribute to departmental process improvement initiatives.

Qualifications:

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

Preferred Additional Skills:

  • Prior experience in developing aircraft structures or major sub-assemblies is strongly desired.

  • Some experience in packaging electronics.

  • Excellent people skills, with experience leading and collaborating in a multi-disciplinary, diverse, and dynamic team environment.

  • Strong capabilities, to include integration and diagnosis of complex mechanisms and products.

  • Experience in design for and testing to military environments (i.e. temperature, vibration, shock, etc.).

  • Expertise in 3D CAD modeling - PTC Creo is strongly preferred.

  • Minimum 8 years experience in mechanical design, requirements analysis, specification generation, interface definition, component selection, component 3D CAD modeling, data collection, and product documentation.

  • Minimum 3 years experience leading and collaborating in a multi-disciplinary, diverse, and dynamic team environment.

  • Prior or current experience working on aerospace products/systems.

  • 5+ years experience in 3D CAD modeling – PTC Creo, Catia, NX, or Solidworks.

In compliance with pay transparency requirements, the salary range for this role in the Virginia, Greater D.C. areas is Min $122,000.00 - $227,000.00 Max. This is not a guarantee of compensation or salary, as final offer amount may vary based on factors including but not limited to experience and geographic location. L3Harris also offers a variety of benefits, including health and disability insurance, 401(k) match, flexible spending accounts, EAP, education assistance, parental leave, paid time off, and company-paid holidays. The specific programs and options available to an employee may vary depending on date of hire, schedule type, and the applicability of collective bargaining agreements.

#LI-TN2

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.

By submitting your resume for this position, you understand and agree that L3Harris Technologies may share your resume, as well as any other related personal information or documentation you provide, with its subsidiaries and affiliated companies for the purpose of considering you for other available positions.

L3Harris Technologies is an E-Verify Employer. Please click here for the E-Verify Poster in English (https://www.e-verify.gov/sites/default/files/everify/posters/EVerifyParticipationPoster.pdf) or Spanish (https://www.e-verify.gov/sites/default/files/everify/posters/EVerifyParticipationPoster.pdf) . For information regarding your Right To Work, please click here for English (https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2022-10/22-088\_EEOC\_KnowYourRights\_10\_20.pdf) or Spanish (https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2022-10/22-088\_EEOC\_KnowYourRightsSp\_10\_20.pdf) .

How this job compares

Set against the 7,181 open Mechanical Engineer jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 13, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$122–227K/yr
  • Virginia median$99–140K/yr187 salary ranges
  • US median$104–160K/yr4,352 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $175K, is 47% above the Virginia median midpoint ($119K) — in the top quarter of Mechanical Engineer salary ranges in Virginia.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 250 open Mechanical Engineer jobs in Virginia and 7,181 across the US. 3% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in Virginia
Experience
This posting asks for at least 9 years of experience — more than three in four Mechanical Engineer postings that state a minimum ask for (median 5 years, across 6,068 postings).
Education
4,949 of the 7,181 open Mechanical Engineer jobs (69%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 13, 2026. Figures based on too few postings are left out.

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