Principal Welding Engineer - Execution Lead

Principal Welding Engineer - Execution Lead

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Job #: R-00181702

Location:

Huntsville, United States

Category: Materials Engineering

Schedule (FT/PT): Full Time

Travel Required: No

Shift: Day

Remote Type: No Remote

Clearance: None

External Referral Program: Ineligible

Sector: Defense

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At Leidos, we deliver innovative solutions through the efforts of our diverse and talented people who are dedicated to our customers’ success. We empower our teams, contribute to our communities, and operate sustainable. Everything we do is built on a commitment to do the right thing for our customers, our people, and our community. Our Mission, Vision, and Values guide the way we do business.

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Leidos Defense Manufacturing is seeking a Principal Welding Engineer – Execution Lead to support the HACM program within the Mechanical Manufacturing Facility (MMF) in Huntsville, AL.

This role serves as the technical authority for welding processes and materials engineering, while also owning manufacturing execution performance across the production system. The position operates at the intersection of deep technical expertise and production leadership, ensuring welding processes are robust, qualified, and capable of meeting program rate and delivery requirements.

In addition to welding and materials authority, this individual functions as the execution lead for manufacturing operations, driving alignment across Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Production Control, CNC Programming, Tool Design, and Program Management to ensure efficient production flow and schedule adherence.

The ideal candidate is a highly experienced welding engineer who has operated in production environments, understands how welding and fabrication processes impact hardware execution, and can lead cross-functional teams to resolve complex manufacturing challenges in real time.

If this sounds like the kind of environment where you can thrive, keep reading!

Leidos Defense Systems Sector / Manufacturing provides a diverse portfolio of systems, solutions, and services covering land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace for customers worldwide. Solutions for Defense include enterprise and mission IT, large-scale intelligence systems, command and control, geospatial and data analytics, cybersecurity, logistics, training, and intelligence analysis and operations support. Our team is solving the world’s toughest security challenges for customers with “can’t fail” missions. To explore and learn more, click here!

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Primary Responsibilities

Welding & Materials Technical Authority

• Serve as the primary welding engineering authority supporting EBW and manual welding operations (GTAW, GMAW)
• Develop, qualify, and optimize welding procedures, including WPS, PQR, and associated documentation
• Lead welding process development, validation, and troubleshooting, including parameter optimization and defect mitigation
• Evaluate metallurgical behavior, including HAZ response, distortion, and structural integrity of welded assemblies
• Drive significant improvements in weld equipment reliability, availability, and process capability across EBW and manual welding systems.
• Ensure compliance with applicable welding codes, specifications, and contractual requirements
• Partner with Quality and NDT to ensure inspection readiness and acceptance criteria are met
• Coordinate with external laboratories and vendors for metallurgical testing and specialty processing
• Maintain configuration control and technical integrity of weld documentation within MES and engineering systems

Manufacturing Execution Leadership

• Own manufacturing execution performance for HACM production, including rate, flow, and delivery commitments
• Act as the central integrator across Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Planning, CNC Programming, and Production
• Establish and drive daily and weekly execution priorities across functions
• Provide real-time technical decision-making support on the shop floor to resolve production issues

Capacity & Rate Readiness

• Assess and maintain capacity models across welding, machining, and assembly operations
• Develop and execute rate readiness plans aligned to program demand
• Identify constraints (process, equipment, labor, planning) and drive resolution to improve throughput
• Translate program requirements into executable, cross-functional production plans

Planning & Process Integration

• Evaluate and improve MBOMs, routers, and work instructions to ensure they are accurate and executable
• Ensure alignment between production planning and shop floor reality
• Maintain configuration control across MES, ERP, and PLM systems
• Drive standardization and best practices across manufacturing processes

Problem Solving & Continuous Improvement

• Lead root cause and corrective action (RCCA) efforts for welding and production-related issues
• Identify systemic gaps and implement sustainable corrective actions
• Drive improvements in safety, quality, cost, and delivery (SQCD) performance
• Ensure accountability and closure of cross-functional action items

Cross-Functional Leadership & Accountability

• Operate with de facto authority across functional teams without direct reporting structure
• Drive alignment and accountability across engineering, quality, planning, and production
• Escalate risks with defined recovery plans and ownership of outcomes
• Serve as a technical leader and mentor to engineering staff across disciplines

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Welding Engineering, Materials Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related discipline.
• 20+ years of relevant welding engineering experience.
• Demonstrated experience developing and qualifying welding procedures.
• Strong working knowledge of Electron Beam Welding (EBW), GTAW and GMAW.
• Metallurgical behavior in welded structures.
• Weld defect mechanisms and mitigation.
• NDT methods and weld inspection standards.
• AWS, ASME, or other applicable welding codes.
• Experience in structural and aerospace alloys.
• Ability to independently resolve complex technical problems.
• Must be a US Citizen and possess (and be able to maintain) a Final Secret Clearance OR meet the eligibility to obtain (and maintain) a Secret Clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Aerospace or defense manufacturing experience.
• Certified Welding Engineer (CWE).
• Experience contributing to technical proposals.
• Experience with Solumina MES and Solidworks CAD systems.

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If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares.