Principal Engineer - Automation Design

Salary: $178,500 - 331,500 per year Requirements:

• We require a bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or another related technical field.
• We are looking for 15+ years of progressive engineering experience in product design, advanced manufacturing, manufacturing engineering, or New Product Introduction.
• We need demonstrated experience designing complex mechanical systems in close partnership with manufacturing organizations.
• We seek experience supporting New Product Introduction from concept through production launch.
• We require experience developing or implementing automated manufacturing cells, production systems, or advanced manufacturing processes.
• We need knowledge of Design for Manufacturing, Design for Assembly, and Design for Automation principles.
• We are looking for experience creating engineering standards, design methods, or technical best practices.
• We need proven ability to influence cross-functional engineering teams and guide technical direction without direct authority.
• Preferred qualifications include an advanced degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Preferred experience includes developing clean-sheet products or next-generation platforms.
• Preferred experience includes designing products for highly automated manufacturing environments.
• Preferred experience includes integrating manufacturing requirements into product design during early development.
• Preferred knowledge includes robotics, digital engineering, digital twins, Model-Based Engineering, Model-Based Systems Engineering, Industry 4.0, or intelligent manufacturing technologies.
• Preferred experience includes advanced composites, lightweight structures, or complex mechanical assemblies.
• Preferred strengths include a systems-thinking mindset with the ability to balance product performance, manufacturability, automation, affordability, and production scalability.
• Preferred skills include excellent communication and collaboration abilities with the capacity to influence multidisciplinary engineering organizations.
• U.S. citizenship is required, as most assigned programs and projects are ITAR restricted.

• We develop and apply Design for Automation methodologies for next-generation rotorcraft programs.
• We establish engineering standards, design guidelines, and best practices that support highly automated manufacturing and assembly.
• We partner with aircraft design teams across the product development lifecycle to embed automation, manufacturability, affordability, quality, and production readiness into product designs.
• We define engineering design requirements that support efficient, scalable, and highly automated production systems.
• We apply lessons learned from New Product Introduction programs and automated manufacturing environments to shape future aircraft architectures.
• We collaborate with manufacturing, industrial engineering, automation, and operations teams to convert manufacturing capabilities into engineering design standards.
• We evaluate emerging manufacturing technologies and incorporate their capabilities into future engineering methods and product development processes.
• We serve as a technical leader for Design for Automation across our next-generation aircraft development efforts.

• Support
• Robotics
• C++

More:

We are Sikorsky Innovations, part of Lockheed Martin, and we have been helping shape the future of vertical flight since 1923. Based in Stratford, CT, with relocation possible, this role offers a full-time salary range of $178,500 to $331,500. We are focused on the next generation of rotorcraft and are transforming aircraft development by integrating advanced automation, digital engineering, robotics, advanced materials, and intelligent manufacturing technologies from the earliest design stages. This position gives you the opportunity to influence how future aircraft are engineered before the first prototype is built, helping us connect innovative design with advanced manufacturing so our next-generation rotorcraft can be built for affordability, automation, scalability, and production readiness. We also offer a comprehensive Total Rewards package that includes medical, dental, vision, flexible work arrangements and schedules, 401(k) match, paid time off, holidays, parental leave, EAP, flexible spending accounts, education assistance, life insurance, short-term disability, and long-term disability.

last updated 36 week of 2026