Lead Specialist - Mechanical Components & Systems

Job Description Summary

Located in Niskayuna, New York, central to the New York Capital District, GE Aerospace Research builds on GE’s 125+ years of industrial research heritage, tackling the most challenging engineering problems through multi-disciplinary teams to deliver innovative technologies. Together, we create and sustain differentiated solutions to maintain competitive advantages for GE Aerospace and our customers.

GE Aerospace will continue to play a vital role in supporting the industry through a historic aviation recovery while shaping the future of flight. We invent the future of flight, lift people up and bring them home safely. Our commitment to lead the industry, to keep safe the flying public and the armed forces, and to lift up one another and our communities, remains our north star.

Our purpose is what ties us to one another and gives meaning to our work.

The Lead Design Engineer – Mechanical Components & Systems will play a key role in maturing the mechanical solutions that enable the future of flight: sustainable, high speed, and next generation propulsion and aircraft systems! As a member of a multi-disciplinary team including researchers, engineers, and technicians, you will execute the design of novel test solutions to push the state of the art of turbo machinery, bearings, gear systems, rotor/stator seals, and rotor dynamics, requiring use system-level thinking to find the shortest path between idea and test.

A successful applicant will have previous hands‑on experience in mechanical design of rotating equipment, design for manufacturing, assembly, and test execution.

Essential Responsibilities

• Execute with guidance the mechanical design of complex test systems, prototypes, and technology demos incorporating a range of new technologies.
• Collaborate with researchers and facilities focals to turn high level system goals and test objectives into detailed design requirements.
• Use engineering judgement to identify key design features to meet the testing goals and simplify non‑critical features to accelerate time to test.
• Apply established design methodology as appropriate to integrate prototypes into new test systems.
• Support manufacturing, assembly, and commissioning of prototypes and related test systems.
• Present designs and analysis results at technical reviews.
• Mentor and guide those less experienced in applied mechanical design.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering from an accredited university or college
• Minimum of 5 years total experience in mechanical design
  • Experience with detailed hardware design from concept to manufacturing drawing
  • Experience selecting and executing analysis methods ranging from hand calc to Finite Element Analysis
  • Experience with product design constraints, material selection, manufacturing techniques, and assembly tooling and processes
  • Experience with specifying, selecting, and integrating commercial off-the-shelf components or systems
  • Proficiency in CAD
• Results‑oriented execution mindset with a sense of urgency
• Ability to work under pressure and meet aggressive deadlines
• Must be willing to work onsite in Niskayuna, NY
• Due to the nature of the duties of this position, this role requires the individual to obtain and maintain US Government Security Clearance; prerequisite for a security clearance is U.S. citizenship.

Desired Characteristics

• Master’s degree in engineering from an accredited university or college
• Experience in rotating‑machinery component (e.g., shafts, bearings, dampers, couplings, seals, gears, etc.) or system‑level prototype and test platform design
  • Conceptual and detailed design of components and assemblies
  • Test‑enabling hardware and auxiliary system (lubrication, hydraulic, actuation, etc.) design, specification, integration, and procurement
  • Test facility integration
  • Test safety and ergonomics
  • Instrumentation and measurement
  • Hands‑on assembly
  • Test execution
• Familiarity with preferred design and analysis tools
  • Siemens NX
  • ANSYS
• Strong Technical Communication
  • Demonstrated communication across internal organizations & with external groups such as suppliers, partners, and/or customers
  • Experience coordinating with on‑site, remote,…