Principal Composite Development Engineer

Spirit AeroSystems designs and builds aerostructures for both commercial and defense customers. With headquarters in Wichita, Kansas, Spirit operates sites in the U.S., U.K., France, and Malaysia. The company's core products include fuselages, pylons, nacelles, and wing components for the world's premier aircraft. Spirit AeroSystems focuses on affordable, innovative composite and aluminum manufacturing solutions to support customers around the globe.

Role Purpose

To develop and execute R&D projects/work packages from proposal scope and budget submission to final technical project delivery by leading a team of engineers and technicians to complete projects to high quality, ensuring schedule adherence and within allocated budget. To liaise with partners, technology providers, and customers in the detailed development and collaboration of composite R&D programmes, providing detailed reports and presentations on activities undertaken and scope of work definition. To develop and deliver new innovative R&D projects related to composite materials and processes, design, stress analysis methods and tools, quality and inspection methodologies as well as automation technologies integrating them into primary structural solutions for future aerostructures component and assembly products. Ensuring technology portfolio integration in line with product development timescales, technology and business strategy. Ensuring compliance of Spirit Proprietary technologies against Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) and/or Technology Readiness Level (TRL) methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Developing and leading R&D projects/work packages from proposal scope and budget submission to final project delivery in line with the agreed schedule, ensuring on time deliverables are achieved within the allocated budget and to high quality.
• Leading a team of engineers and/or technicians to complete projects to high quality, ensuring schedule adherence.
• Liaising with partners, technology providers, and customers in the detailed development and collaboration of composite R&D programmes, providing detail reports and presentations on activities undertaken and scope of work definition.
• Researching composite material related technologies and determining their potential application on the design, fabrication, verification and assembly of various structural components.
• Liaising with composite raw material suppliers and compiling screening programmes for potential material allowable programmes.
• Developing technical solutions on composite design, analysis, fabrication and assembly processes enabling reduced cost, robust quality and structural weight reduction.
• Developing bespoke fabrication, verification and assembly equipment and techniques to provide cutting edge solutions to future wing aerostructures products.
• Adopting design of experiments and appropriate analytical methodologies to optimise material performance and fabrication process robustness.
• Developing and compiling test programmes for sub-element testing of features of the structure’s design that will lead to the certification of the composite component.
• Prepare reports on project results, composite material requirements document and the subsequent test evaluation of the materials based on either customer and/or Spirit proprietary processes.
• Design and structural analysis of large wing structural assemblies and/or detailed components with detailed global local models of specific areas of interest and simulation of static and dynamic non-linear phenomena.
• Developing structural analysis modelling techniques that provide innovative solutions for improved structural weight efficiency and reduction of pyramid of testing through robust predictive modelling capability.
• Developing bespoke structural numerical models to provide cutting edge solutions to composite ply structural optimisation, wing architecture definition and mass estimation.
• Adopting analytical closed formulations to verify validity of finite element models and relative comparison with experimental results.
• Liaising with equipment suppliers in the development of computer controlled visual detection inspection tools enabling quality assessment without the need for human interference through a thorough understanding of the composite fabrication process and their quality.
• Designing metrology inspection techniques that will identify and verify composite component fabrication compliance.
• Developing process, assembly and factory flow modelling, introducing robotic systems that will allow repeatability of process whilst maintaining NRC models that reflect the programme complexity.
• Ensuring technical solution integration in line with product development timescales, technology and business strategy.
• Ensuring compliance of Spirit Proprietary technologies against Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) and/or Technology Readiness Level (TRL) approaches.

Qualifications Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Strong knowledge in composite related technologies ideally in a research and development environment.
• Applied know-how in one or more of the following composite related disciplines: composite design, analysis, material and fabrication, testing, assembly and quality inspection processes.
• Solid understanding of composite mechanical and physical behaviours.
• Relevant experience in planning, developing and leading R&D projects/packages of work and/or small tasks to agreed time, quality and costs.
• Relevant experience in developing R&D projects proposals/projects from proposal scope and budget definition to final technical project delivery to time, cost and quality.
• Relevant experience in leading a team of engineers and/or technicians to complete project technical scope and schedule adherence.
• Relevant background in complex technology integration R&D projects.
• Excellent interpersonal, influencing skills and a team working “ethos”.
• Excellent report writing and presentation skills.
• Excellent problem solving and analytical skills are essential for this role.
• Excellent organisational and planning skills.
• Self driven, professional approach with a “can do” attitude to innovation.
• A good grasp of Microsoft packages such as Word, Excel & Outlook is required.
• Understanding of typical composite polymers material equipment coupled with physical, chemical and mechanical test methods will be important.
• Desirable – MSc in Aerospace/Mechanical Engineering, material polymer science/or equivalent relevant degree/experience.

Decision Making Authority

The jobholder shall plan, cost and schedule the project with little input from the manager with extensive authority to take it to completion. The jobholder shall have the authority for the decision making process surrounding the business case and will have the responsibility to justify it to R&T management. The jobholder may order equipment, tooling etc to complete the project within the bounds of the agreed budget. The jobholder would receive technical direction from the R&D Manager prior to making final project decisions. It is anticipated however that the jobholder would have a completed project technical plan that encompasses all the relevant information for the final decision to be given. The jobholder would be expected to take authority in ensuring that the relevant inputs to the project are maintained and realised.

Spirit AeroSystems is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, colour, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy, age, disability, veteran status or any other protected factor under federal, state or local law.