Principal Motor Design Engineer (Electric Machines)
Location: Baton Rouge, LA or Glendale, AZ
Type: Full-time
Client: Confidential aerospace and defense contractor
Intrepidus Talent Solutions is running a search for an aerospace and defense contractor that designs and builds mission-critical electromechanical hardware for the Department of Defense and major prime contractors. Our client needs a Principal Motor Design Engineer to own electric motor design from start to finish and be the company’s senior technical authority on electric machines.
The right person sees a motor as one complete rotating system. Electromagnetic performance matters, and so do thermal, structural, rotordynamic, bearing, tolerance, materials, drivetrain, manufacturing and test factors. You’ll take designs from requirements through analysis, prototype, qualification and into production, working mainly on permanent magnet synchronous (PMSM), brushless DC (BLDC) and AC synchronous motors.
Design and Analysis
Lead design of PMSM, BLDC, AC synchronous and specialty motors from requirements definition through production release
Turn system and customer requirements into motor-level requirements, interfaces, detailed specifications and verification criteria
Run electromagnetic design and simulation in ANSYS Motor-CAD and related ANSYS tools: magnetic circuits, windings, torque, losses, efficiency and performance
Perform and support coupled thermal, structural, stress and dynamic analysis covering winding and magnet temperatures, thermal paths and growth, fatigue, shock, vibration and overspeed
Lead trade studies across electromagnetic, thermal, structural, mechanical, manufacturing, reliability, cost and SWaP considerations
Rotating Assembly and Mechanical Design
Design the full rotating assembly, including rotors, shafts, housings, bearing systems, magnet retention and interfaces
Evaluate rotor dynamics (critical speeds, rotor stiffness, bearing effects, unbalance response, resonance risk), and own balancing strategy, balance correction and vibration troubleshooting
Select and analyze bearings for load capacity, life, preload, fits, lubrication, stiffness, and thermal and environmental effects
Develop GD&T schemes and tolerance stack-ups for air gaps, bearing fits, rotor/stator concentricity, runout and other critical dimensions
Integrate motors with gearboxes, couplings, splines, actuators and other drivetrain components
Select materials and assess compatibility (magnetic, insulation, structural, bearing, adhesive, coating, lubricant), accounting for temperature, environment, corrosion, CTE mismatch, outgassing and manufacturing processes
Build, Test and Production
Produce CAD models, engineering drawings, tolerance requirements, BOMs and design documentation to applicable aerospace and defense standards
Apply DFM/DFA principles and work with manufacturing, suppliers and quality so designs can be built, assembled, inspected, balanced and tested repeatably
Oversee prototype builds, bench testing, environmental qualification, endurance testing, failure analysis and teardowns, then correlate results to analytical models and refine the design
Make sure designs meet requirements for performance, reliability, EMI/EMC, environmental survivability, manufacturability and SWaP
Technical Leadership
Serve as the principal technical point of contact in motor and electromechanical design reviews with customers, primes and government stakeholders
Mentor junior and mid-level engineers and provide technical leadership across motor and electromechanical work
Partner with electrical, mechanical, systems, controls, manufacturing and test engineering to ensure integrated system performance
Support new business through technical volumes, design concepts, trade studies and ROM estimates
Work Environment
- Office, engineering lab, test and production settings, with regular hands-on work on prototype and production hardware
- Occasional travel to customer sites, test facilities and suppliers
All inquiries are handled confidentially. Our client is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.
Requirements
What You Bring
- Bachelor’s in Electrical, Mechanical or Electromechanical Engineering or a related field; Master’s or PhD preferred
- 10+ years designing electric motors, rotating electromechanical systems or similar high-performance machinery, ideally in aerospace, defense or another high-reliability industry
- Deep electric machine design expertise in PMSM, BLDC, AC synchronous or similar machines, including magnetic circuits, winding design, losses, efficiency, torque production and thermal management
- Hands-on ANSYS Motor-CAD, plus ANSYS or equivalent tools for electromagnetic, thermal, structural or mechanical analysis
- Proven ability to judge a motor design beyond electromagnetics: thermal behavior, structural integrity, rotor dynamics, bearings, balancing, mechanical interfaces and drivetrain
- GD&T, engineering drawings, tolerance analysis and stack-ups, dimensional fits and precision rotating assemblies
- Material selection and compatibility for high-performance electromechanical hardware
- Full-lifecycle experience: requirements review, specification, concept, detailed analysis, CAD and drawings, prototype, test, qualification and production transition
- Strong understanding of motor control fundamentals and how motors interact with drive electronics
- Working knowledge of MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-461, MIL-STD-704, AS9100 and related standards
- Strong first-principles engineering, troubleshooting, root-cause analysis, technical writing and communication skills
- Experience presenting designs and analysis to customers, internal design reviews and government stakeholders
- U.S. citizenship required (government contracts and access to export-controlled information)
Nice to Have
- Integrated electromechanical actuators, gearboxes, couplings, splines and mechanical drivetrains
- Rotor dynamics, bearing analysis, balancing, vibration analysis and high-speed rotating machinery
- FMEA/FMECA, reliability engineering, design-for-reliability and life prediction
- DoD or NASA program experience, including formal PDR/CDR and qualification testing
- Active DoD security clearance
- Experience mentoring engineers or leading small multidisciplinary technical teams