Programmer Manager Jobs in Worcester, MA (NOW HIRING)

DRS NPS has an immediate need for a highly technical Engineering Manager to lead our structural, shock, and acoustic analysis team. This highly-visible leadership position has two primary responsibilities. First, to provide functional management and technical leadership to a team of 8-12 analysis engineers. Second, this role is expected to personally execute and technically own the most complex analyses on our highest-risk programs, serving as the final technical authority for analysis-based qualification and as an effective bridge between engineering, other functions, and senior management.

In the functional manager role, this position will be responsible to manage analysis resources in support of a large number of active development programs. This role baselines individual expectations, performs performance evaluations, provides performance-based feedback, career development, resource/skill gap assessments, and hiring recommendations. This role owns the health of the analysis toolchain and methods portfolio, modeling standards, peer review protocols, and model validation practices in addition to recommendations on software license planning and compute/HPC capacity. This role also monitors and manages the performance of the team through development and evaluation of metrics, including reporting up to senior management, and is expected to drive engineering efficiencies through continuous improvement and automation of repetitive analysis workflows.

In the technical leader role, this position is responsible for estimating, planning, and driving the analysis scope on U.S. military and customized commercial projects ranging from < $2M - $150M+. The day-to-day focus entails organizing, leading, and mentoring analysts, defining the analysis approach for each program, and making direct individual technical contributions on the most demanding problems. This includes finite element modeling and simulation for static and dynamic structural loading, shipboard shock (including DDAM and transient/explicit methods), vibration, fatigue, structureborne/airborne noise and acoustic signature performance of large rotating electric machines, turbines, and power conversion equipment. Critical to success in the role is the ability to defend analysis results and qualification-by-analysis arguments to customers and independent review authorities, correlate models to test data, and clearly document and present findings to technical and non-technical audiences. As part of regular activities, this role will have significant supplier, test facility, and customer interaction.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on analyst who has personally built, run, and defended complex finite element models for naval or comparably regulated applications, and who has since taken on responsibility for developing and leading other engineers. The ability to set a technical vision for an analysis organization and influence its adoption is a key skillset.

• Manage resource allocations for a team of 8-12 structural, shock, and acoustic analysis engineers
• Interview and hire staff to support resource demands and analysis skill needs; build and execute a development plan that grows junior analysts into independent technical owners
• Conduct annual reviews, provide feedback, training, and career guidance to develop future engineering leaders
• Serve as the senior technical authority for analysis methodology, modeling standards, mesh and boundary condition practice, material models, acceptance criteria, and independent peer review of analysis results
• Contribute directly to program success by personally executing the most complex and highest-risk analyses
• Plan and drive execution of the detailed analysis work scope to the required quality, schedule and budget
• Own analysis-based qualification strategy - determine what is qualified by analysis, by test, or by similarity, and defend that strategy to the customer and to independent review authorities
• Direct correlation of finite element models to modal survey, vibration, shock, and acoustic test data, and drive model validation and uncertainty quantification practices
• Partner with design engineering early in the product lifecycle to influence structural and acoustic design decisions before they are finalized
• Ensure compliance to AS9100 New Product Development processes
• Initiate, develop, and lead engineering efficiency and other continuous improvement efforts, including automation of recurring analysis workflows, reusable model templates, and integration of analysis into the digital engineering / model-based environment
• Confidently and competently represent DRS in front of customers, including the US Navy, NAVSEA technical warrant holders, and shipbuilder engineering organizations
• Clearly communicate, orally and in writing, technical and programmatic information to technical and non-technical individuals
• Collaborate with other departments, DRS locations, test facilities, and suppliers to solve problems and develop cost-effective, high quality solutions

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science degree from a 4 year accredited college or university in Mechanical, Aerospace, Structural, Ocean/Naval, Engineering Mechanics or similar engineering discipline
• A minimum of 10 years of progressive experience performing structural and/or dynamic finite element analysis on complex hardware
• Demonstrated hands-on proficiency with commercial FEA tools (e.g., ANSYS, Abaqus, Nastran/Femap, LS-DYNA, or equivalent), including model construction, solution setup, convergence assessment, and results interpretation
• Demonstrated experience with dynamic analysis methods - modal, harmonic, random vibration, transient/explicit dynamics, and/or shock response
• Demonstrated experience individually driving analysis from initial concept assessment through qualification of fielded systems
• Experience correlating analytical models against physical test data and adjudicating differences between prediction and measurement
• Experience with system-level thinking and system engineering principles/methods
• Strong sense of ownership and high level of accountability, including willingness to sign off on and defend analysis conclusions
• US citizen

Preferred Qualifications

• Masters of Science in Mechanical, Structural, Engineering Mechanics, Acoustics or similar engineering discipline
• Experience leading, mentoring, or managing a team of individual contributors
• Direct experience with U.S. Navy shock qualification, including MIL-DTL-901 (barge and medium/lightweight shock machine testing) and Dynamic Design Analysis Method (DDAM) per NRL-1396
• Direct experience with shipboard vibration and noise specifications such as MIL-STD-167-1 and MIL-STD-740-1/-2, and with acoustic signature or quieting requirements for surface ship or submarine equipment
• Experience with structureborne and airborne noise prediction, transfer path analysis, statistical energy analysis (SEA), and vibration isolation / mount system design
• Experience with rotordynamics, bearing and shaft line dynamics, or electromagnetic-to-structural force coupling in rotating machinery
• Experience with fatigue, fracture, weldment, and durability assessment of large fabricated structures
• Experience with the development of electric machines, electric motor/drive systems, electro-mechanical systems, gas turbines, steam turbines, diesel engines, or other power machinery
• Experience with execution of projects for the US military or foreign navies
• Experience with scripting and analysis automation (e.g., Python, APDL, MATLAB) and with managing HPC/compute resources for large simulation workloads
• Active security clearance