Senior Principal Engineer, Engineering Excellence
RTX· enterprise· Defense· Oct 20, 2026 · 8d ago
Pueblo, CO
In office
Full-time
Principal
$143K–$219K est.
10+ years exp
Job description
Date Posted:
2026-10-20 Country:
United States of America Location:
US-CO-PUEBLO-050 ~ 50 William White Blvd ~ BLDG 50 Position Role Type:
Onsite U.S. Citizen, U.S. Person, or Immigration Status Requirements:
U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are authorized to access information under this program/contract. Security Clearance Type:
None/Not Required Security Clearance Status:
Not Required
At RTX, the world s largest aerospace and defense company, 185,000 great minds are united by purpose and inspired to make a difference solving the world’s most complex problems. With our three market leading businesses, world-class operations and investments in research and development, we offer capabilities and opportunity no one else can. Together, we push the boundaries of known science and find new ways to connect and protect our world.
Collins Aerospace is a leader in technologically advanced, intelligent solutions that help redefine the aerospace and defense industry. With a comprehensive portfolio and deep technical expertise, we help customers meet the demands of the global market. Join us and help shape the future of aerospace and defense.
This Engineer plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of the Wheel & Brake business. Through strategic leadership in variation analysis and advanced inspection innovation, this role directly strengthens the reliability, manufacturability, and long-term competitiveness of carbon–carbon products. With high visibility across leadership and key functional groups, the Engineer influences critical decisions, drives transformational improvements, and helps define the next generation of materials and inspection technologies. In this position, you will not only solve today’s most pressing challenges, but you will also build lasting capabilities that set the foundation for tomorrow.
The Engineer is responsible for driving strategic variation reduction initiatives and advancing inspection capabilities across multiple carbon–carbon brake manufacturing production areas. This role provides hands-on technical leadership in Variation Modes & Effects Analysis (VMEA) to ensure manufacturing consistency, improved product performance, and proactive risk identification across textiles, furnace deck, machine shop, coating, and riveting operations.
As a technical lead, the Engineer works closely with senior leadership, Operations, Quality, Engineering, R&D, and external partners to influence major strategic decisions. This position offers significant opportunity to make a lasting impact by addressing critical current needs and shaping the future of carbon–carbon manufacturing and inspection technologies across global sites.
What You Will Do:
Lead strategic analysis of process and product variation across all carbon–carbon production areas to identify critical trends, risks, and high-impact improvement opportunities.
Perform detailed data analysis to determine variation drivers and support VMEA documentation of modes, effects, and risks for leadership and cross-functional teams.
Develop new nondestructive evaluation (NDE) methods for carbon–carbon materials and brake disk inspection that enable next-generation quality and capability.
Meet with external vendors and partners to explore emerging inspection and measurement technologies and influence future technical direction.
Write, justify, and submit Capital Acquisition Requests for equipment that delivers step-change improvements in measurement, inspection, and variation control.
Collaborate closely with Operations, Quality, EH&S, Engineering, and R&D to align strategic variation insights, corrective actions, and long-term initiatives.
Coordinate with carbon–carbon teams at Spokane and Santa Fe Springs to maintain consistency in shared processes, technologies, and best practices.
Present key risks, trends, and strategic recommendations to senior leadership using clear, compelling communication.
Maintain a strong understanding of manufacturing sequences to interpret complex variation behavior and recommend high-value corrective actions.
Proactively develop new measurements, inspection, and variation-control methods that strengthen process capability, enhance product quality, and improve business competitiveness.
Qualifications You Must Have:
Typically requires a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) and minimum 10 years prior relevant experience or an Advanced Degree in a related field and minimum 7 years of experience
Qualifications We Prefer:
Advanced Degree in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or related discipline.
2–5 years of experience in a chemical or composite manufacturing environment.
Aerospace manufacturing experience.
Experience with aircraft programs or technical project management.
Data mining or advanced statistical modeling experience.
Experience in formal technical writing (engineering documentation, capital requests, or leadership presentations).
What We Offer:
Benefits:
Some of our competitive benefits packages include:
Medical, dental, and vision insurance
Three weeks of vacation for newly hired employees
Generous 401(k) plan that includes employer matching funds and separate employer retirement contribution, including a Lifetime Income Strategy option
Tuition reimbursement program
Student Loan Repayment Program
Life insurance and disability coverage
Optional coverages you can buy pet insurance, home and auto insurance, additional life and accident insurance, critical illness insurance, group legal, and ID theft protection
Birth, adoption, parental leave benefits
Autism Health, fertility, and family planning
Adoption Assistance
Autism Benefit
Employee Assistance Plan, including up to 10 free counseling sessions
Healthy You Incentives, wellness rewards program
Doctor on Demand, virtual doctor visits
Bright Horizons, child and elder care services
Teladoc Medical Experts, second opinion program
And more!
Learn More & Apply Now!
Our Advanced Structures team leverages advanced materials and additive manufacturing to develop complex interior and exterior solutions. These solutions ensure structural integrity of the aircraft, help aircraft take off and land, stay trim in the air, move forward, carry cargo and conduct rescues. We delight our customers with superior products and best-in-class service. Our global team is committed to continuous improvement – we work hard to make our solutions lighter-weight, stronger and more technically advanced, so that plane travel can be safer, more affordable and more sustainable in the years to come. We are looking for the best and brightest to fly and land with us!
Our industry-leading experts are setting the standards for the aerospace industry and paving the way for the future. But as new challenges present themselves, we need fresh, creative and motivated minds to overcome these hurdles, help us break barriers and achieve new levels of innovation. Do you have what it takes to join a global organization that doesn’t shy away from big opportunities? If so, we invite you to join our ranks and create the next generation of aerospace technologies.
Together, we will nurture an engineering culture that values intellectual curiosity, risk takers and integrity. A place where we will challenge ourselves, our teams, and the status quo and where we will work to find a way – the right way – to achieve what others can only dream of.
Onsite : Employees who are working in Onsite roles will work primarily onsite. This includes all production and maintenance employees, as they are essential to the development of our products.
At Collins, the paths we pave together lead to limitless possibility. And the bonds we form – with our customers and with each other -- propel us all higher, again and again.
Apply now and be part of the team that’s redefining aerospace, every day.
As part of our commitment to maintaining a secure hiring process, candidates may be asked to attend select steps of the interview process in-person at one of our office locations, regardless of whether the role is designated as on-site, hybrid or remote.
The salary range for this role is 132,400 USD - 251,600 USD. The salary range provided is a good faith estimate representative of all experience levels. RTX considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role, function and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, location, education/training, and key skills.
Hired applicants may be eligible for benefits, including but not limited to, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, 401(k) match, flexible spending accounts, flexible work schedules, employee assistance program, Employee Scholar Program, parental leave, paid time off, and holidays. Specific benefits are dependent upon the specific business unit as well as whether or not the position is covered by a collective-bargaining agreement.
Hired applicants may be eligible for annual short-term and/or long-term incentive compensation programs depending on the level of the position and whether or not it is covered by a collective-bargaining agreement. Payments under these annual programs are not guaranteed and are dependent upon a variety of factors including, but not limited to, individual performance, business unit performance, and/or the company’s performance.
This role is a U.S.-based role. If the successful candidate resides in a U.S. territory, the appropriate pay structure and benefits will apply.
RTX anticipates the application window closing approximately 40 days from the date the notice was posted. However, factors such as candidate flow and business necessity may require RTX to shorten or extend the application window.
RTX 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, age, disability or veteran status, or any other applicable state or federal protected class. RTX provides affirmative action in employment for qualified Individuals with a Disability and Protected Veterans in compliance with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act.
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401(K)
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