Principal Engineer, Mechanical Design

Beehive Industries is dedicated to powering American defense by revolutionizing jet propulsion systems. The Principal Engineer, Mechanical Design will support early-stage technology development, focusing on advanced propulsion and turbomachinery-related efforts while working in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities:

• Develop hardware concepts, component designs, and assembly-level solutions for advanced propulsion programs and related technology efforts
• Explore conceptual design space for engines, subsystems, and technical maturation strategies, balancing performance, feasibility, manufacturability, and test objectives
• Create and refine 3D models, 2D definitions, cross sections, and related engineering documentation to support design, analysis, manufacturing, assembly, and test activities
• Support rapid development cycles by moving designs from concept into hardware for prototype, component, and full-assembly evaluation
• Build, evaluate, and test hardware to assess design performance, technical risk, and next-step development opportunities
• Partner across engineering disciplines including design, analysis, performance, manufacturing, controls, systems, and test to solve complex technical problems
• Apply sound engineering fundamentals to turbomachinery and propulsion development, including thermodynamics-based reasoning and first-principles problem solving
• Identify root issues, not just surface-level symptoms, and propose practical, technically grounded solutions
• Contribute to the evaluation and development of novel propulsion technologies and related innovation efforts that expand Beehive’s technical capabilities
• Ensure technical data, models, drawings, and related outputs are documented clearly and managed in accordance with engineering best practices and configuration management expectations
• Capture and communicate lessons learned, best practices, and technical guidance in a way that is accessible and useful to broader engineering and business teams
• Provide clear, timely communication on technical progress, key risks, issues, and recommendations

Requirements:

• 12+ years of experience contributing in conceptual design environments where requirements may evolve and rapid iteration is expected
• Experience designing, building, and testing hardware in a development setting
• Experience in propulsion systems, turbomachinery, or closely related aerospace hardware development
• Strong understanding of thermodynamics and engineering fundamentals
• Proficiency in CAD, especially NX
• Ability to work effectively in loosely defined environments and make progress without excessive structure or direction
• Strong problem-solving capability, including the ability to distinguish the real problem from the initially stated problem
• Willingness to speak up with ideas, technical perspectives, and objections when needed to improve the work
• Ability to work across a broad range of problems rather than remaining narrowly focused on a single task area
• Strong communication skills and the ability to document technical work clearly and effectively
• Demonstrated ownership, initiative, and follow-through in fast-paced, cross-functional engineering environments
• Experience with additive manufacturing and design for additive manufacturing principles
• Experience with turbomachinery components and assemblies
• Experience with component or system-level test activities
• Experience with PLM/PDM tools and configuration-controlled engineering environments
• Familiarity with GD&T and engineering documentation best practices
• Experience developing or using physics-based models, including AI-enabled or data-informed engineering approaches
• Experience with power electronics
• Experience with brushless DC motors