Skip to main content
Northrop Grumman logo

Mechanical Engineer - Additive Tank Product Design & Development Technical Lead - Level 5

Northrop Grumman

Commerce, CAJob$161–241K/yrSeen 1w agoSeen in employer's feed 3 days ago

Most applications go out cold — see where you stand first. No sign-up to start.

You apply on the employer's site, with no Olive account needed.

Watch jobs like this.

Don't just apply. Show up ready.

Olive works from this exact posting.

At a glance

Compensation
$161–241K/yr
Location
Commerce, CA
Work Authorization
Not specified

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Requirements

Credentials this posting asks for.

Security clearance, required

Job overview

Northrop Grumman seeks a technical lead for the additively manufactured tank and scalable product line in Commerce, California. The lead owns the product technical baseline and directs design, analysis, verification, and qualification, partnering with manufacturing, design, analysis, materials and processes, and the Chief Engineer. The role leads through technical authority without direct reports and mentors engineers while communicating product maturity, risks, and decisions to program leadership.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Technical Leadership, requiredMechanical Product Lifecycle, requiredAdditive Manufacturing, requiredAdvanced Manufacturing, requiredTechnical Roadmapping, requiredMechanical Design, requiredRequirements Development, requiredEngineering Definition, requiredGD&T, requiredInterface Control, requiredTolerance Analysis, requiredStructural Analysis, requiredThermal Analysis, requiredCross-Functional Leadership, requiredCustomer Relations, requiredSenior Leadership Communication, requiredPressure Hardware, requiredMultidisciplinary Team Leadership, requiredDesign Reviews, requiredVerification Planning, requiredTechnical Risk Resolution, requiredTanks, nice to havePressure Vessels, nice to havePropulsion Hardware, nice to haveAerospace Structures, nice to haveMetal Additive Manufacturing, nice to haveFatigue, nice to haveFracture Mechanics, nice to haveDamage Tolerance, nice to haveBuckling, nice to havePressure-System Qualification, nice to haveScalable Product Architecture, nice to haveTooling Definition, nice to haveMachining, nice to haveJoining, nice to haveInspection, nice to haveAdditive-Process Qualification, nice to haveCAD/PLM, nice to haveRequirements Management, nice to haveConfiguration Control, nice to have

Qualifications

Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering or Related STEM, requiredMaster's in Related STEM or Equivalent, requiredPhD in Related STEM or Equivalent, requiredBachelor's+12, Master's+10 or PhD+8 Years, requiredSecurity Clearance Eligibility, required

Benefits

Relocation Assistance
Medical Insurance
Paid Time Off

Full job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No

CLEARANCE TYPE: None

TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the Time

Description

At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work — and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.

Northrop Grumman’s Space Sector is seeking a Mechanical Engineer - Additive Tank Product Design & Development Technical Lead - Level 5 to join our Mission Enabling Products MEP Team. This position will be located in Commerce, CA .

Northrop Grumman Mission Enabling Products (MEP) Business Unit designs, builds, and delivers space, defense and aviation-related systems to customers around the world. Our main products include satellites and associated space components and services, launch vehicles and related propulsion systems, missile products, subsystems and defense electronics, precision weapons, armament systems, and advanced aerospace structures.

As the Lead for the additively manufactured tank and scalable product line, you will own the product technical baseline, including product-line requirements, architecture, design, analysis, interfaces, engineering definition, product-critical tooling requirements, verification, and product qualification. You will lead through technical authority without direct reports and partners with manufacturing, design, analysis, M&P and Chief Engineer.

Job responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Own and control product-line requirements, architecture, configurations, interfaces, design rules, verification methods, and the product technical baseline.

  • Lead mechanical design of tanks, domes, joints, supports, interfaces, and associated hardware.

  • Direct structural, thermal, pressure, fatigue, fracture, buckling, and other required analyses, including model validation and test correlation.

  • Own functional GD&T, datum architecture, tolerance stacks, critical characteristics, acceptance criteria, and engineering-definition release; obtain documented manufacturability and inspectability concurrence from the Additive Manufacturing Lead.

  • Review DFM/DFA assessments led by the Additive Manufacturing Lead and decide how recommendations are incorporated into the controlled product design.

  • Approve design allowables, criteria, and margins using process data and capability evidence supplied by the Additive Manufacturing Lead.

  • Own joint performance, geometry, interfaces, fits, and acceptance requirements; coordinate with the Additive Manufacturing Lead on joining-process development and qualification.

  • Define product-critical, assembly, handling, integration, and test-tooling requirements, including loads, interfaces, accuracy, and acceptance criteria. Agree on tooling classification before work begins.

  • Define characteristics, tolerances, acceptance criteria, and verification closure; the Additive Manufacturing Lead owns manufacturing inspection methods and process controls.

  • Own product verification and qualification, including test articles, instrumentation, acceptance criteria, analysis-to-test correlation, and requirements closure.

  • Approve changes affecting requirements, form, fit, function, interfaces, design margins, or product qualification, and define the documented manufacturing envelope within which manufacturing changes may be controlled.

  • Lead integrated issue resolution when product performance or design risk is primary; require concurrence from the Additive Manufacturing Lead when both technical baselines are affected.

  • Recommend design maturity and engineering release. Overall program authorization requires the separate manufacturing-readiness recommendation of the Additive Manufacturing Lead.

  • Mentor engineers and communicate product maturity, margins, risks, decisions, and recommendations to program leadership.

Basic Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related STEM discipline with 12 years of relevant engineering experience; OR Master’s degree in a related STEM discipline with 10 years of relevant experience; or a PhD in a related STEM discipline with 8 years of relevant experience.

  • Demonstrated technical leadership of complex mechanical products from requirements through design, analysis, manufacturing, verification, and qualification.

  • Demonstrated experience with additive manufacturing or other advanced manufacturing methods and the ability to incorporate these into technical roadmaps.

  • Advanced experience with mechanical design, requirements development, engineering definition, GD&T, interface control, and tolerance analysis.

  • Experience directing structural and thermal analyses and using results to make product-level decisions.

  • Experience leading and influencing cross functional technical teams and effectively interfacing with customers and senior leadership.

  • Experience with pressure-containing, highly loaded, or similarly complex hardware.

  • Experience leading multidisciplinary teams, design reviews, verification planning, and technical-risk resolution without direct reporting authority.

  • Ability to obtain and maintain the required security clearance

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience with tanks, pressure vessels, propulsion hardware, or aerospace structures.

  • Experience designing metal additively manufactured hardware.

  • Knowledge of fatigue, fracture mechanics, damage tolerance, buckling, and pressure-system qualification.

  • Experience developing scalable product families or common product architectures.

  • Experience defining and overseeing tooling for assembly, handling, integration, and test.

  • Familiarity with machining, joining, inspection, additive-process qualification, CAD/PLM, requirements management, and configuration control.

Curious about all the exciting developments with the Northrop Grumman Space Sector? Click the link below:

https://www.northropgrumman.com/space

Working at Northrop Grumman is more than just a paycheck. We offer a comprehensive Total Rewards and benefits package designed to help you thrive at work and in life. For more information on our Total Rewards package, please visit our Total Rewards site.

Northrop Grumman Total Rewards (https://totalrewards.northropgrumman.com/?\_gl=1*1y2u5rc*\_gcl\_au*MTkyMjcyNDUxNS4xNzUyNTg4MDg3*\_ga*MzA4NDM5NjgzLjE2NzM5ODM3ODg.*\_ga\_7YV3CDX0R2*czE3NTMyNzU3NDgkbzEyMzckZzEkdDE3NTMyNzY2ODQkajU5JGwwJGgw)

#LosAngelesSpace

#SpaceEngJobs

#SpaceGNCJobs

Primary Level Salary Range: $161,000.00 - $241,400.00

The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills and current market conditions.

Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives. In addition, Northrop Grumman provides a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.

The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.

Northrop Grumman is an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO and pay transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.

Job Category: Engineering

How this job compares

Set against the 7,668 open Mechanical Engineer jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 10, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$161–241K/yr
  • California median$129–180K/yr1,077 salary ranges
  • US median$106–160K/yr4,640 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $201K, is 31% above the California median midpoint ($154K) — in the top quarter of Mechanical Engineer salary ranges in California.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 1,339 open Mechanical Engineer jobs in California and 7,668 across the US. 2% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in California
Experience
This posting asks for at least 8 years of experience; Mechanical Engineer postings that state a minimum ask for 5 years at the median (6,390 postings).
Education
5,233 of the 7,668 open Mechanical Engineer jobs (68%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 10, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

Prepare for this role

You've read the whole posting — now see how you match it.