Principal Engineer – Drilling & Fastening

Ascent Aerospace – Inspiring the next generation of flight!

Ascent Aerospace is a world-renowned, single-source provider of production and automated assembly systems for the aerospace and defense industry. We provide high-precision advanced automated equipment as well as a full suite of both mold and assembly tooling required for the aerospace manufacturing market, including the largest Invar molds ever made— making us the largest tooling group in the industry. We work with our customers to develop their project and see it through, from process engineering to build and installation, to ensure it is an efficient and cost-effective solution. As a true, single-source integrator, we have proven tools to surpass our customer expectations. We have greater control of timing and schedules, which allows for 100% accountability, and avoids costly mark-ups, ultimately saving our customers money. The result: a group of businesses, each an industry leader within their own discipline, now acting as one truly integrated supply base.

SUMMARY OF POSITION
We are seeking a Principal Engineer – Drilling & Fastening Systems to lead continuous improvement, research & development, and technical support activities for aerospace automated drilling, fastening, and riveting systems. This position emphasizes CNC-based architectures (Siemens SINUMERIK, FANUC, and others) and system enhancements to improve performance, accuracy, and reliability of drilling and fastening operations.
The Principal Engineer will act as a technical architect, supporting commissioning teams, guiding cross-functional engineering groups, and driving adoption of new drilling and fastening solutions across the organization. This role blends deep technical expertise with leadership in system integration, troubleshooting, and R&D innovation.


ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
• Serve as the technical authority for automated drilling and fastening systems, including single-sided drilling, riveting, and fastening processes.
• Lead R&D initiatives to expand system capabilities (e.g., adaptive drilling, process monitoring, tool life management, force/torque feedback).
• Provide CNC technical support to commissioning teams during system startup, troubleshooting, and customer acceptance (remote support, no travel required).
• Collaborate with estimating to develop accurate technical content for proposals involving drilling/fastening systems.
• Partner with mechanical and controls engineers on system design for spindles, drilling heads, feed units, clamping mechanisms, and fastener insertion modules.
• Develop and maintain standards for CNC programming, process optimization, and automation integration specific to drilling and fastening systems.
• Lead development of standardizing drilling and fastening modules for use across multiple programs.
• Research and evaluate new technologies (cutting tool monitoring, vision-guided positioning, force-adaptive drilling, smart sensors) for aerospace fastening applications.
• Ensure compliance with safety standards (NFPA 79, UL 508A, IEC 60204-1, ISO 13849/61508) and ITAR regulations.
• Review program metrics, troubleshoot system performance issues, and recommend improvements for cost, cycle time, and quality.


REQUIRED SKILLS, EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE
Any combination of education and experience providing the required skill and knowledge for successful job performance will be considered. Typical qualifications would be:
• BA or BS degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Controls Engineering, or related field; or equivalent industry experience.
• 10+ years in manufacturing engineering with 5+ years in aerospace drilling, fastening, or riveting automation.
• Deep knowledge of CNC programming, commissioning, and troubleshooting (Siemens SINUMERIK, FANUC).
• Strong background in servo drive train design, high-accuracy positioning systems, and process monitoring.
• Leadership experience (3+ years) with cross-functional technical teams.
• Experience with aerospace standards and automated fastening integration.
• Proficiency with FMEA, safety system validation, and reliability engineering.
• Strong project execution and collaboration skills across engineering, commissioning, and customer teams.
• Proficient in MS Office: Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Project.
• This position must meet Export Control compliance requirements, therefore a “US Person” as defined by 22.C.F.R. § is required.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
• Problem solving – the individual identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner and gathers and analyzes information skillfully.
• Interpersonal Skills – the individual maintains confidentiality, remains open to others’ ideas and exhibits willingness to try new things when working with the v