2026 Graduate - Mechanical-Fluids Analysis Engineer, Shipboard Systems Team

About the role

We are seeking a Mechanical Engineer to perform modeling and simulation on complex weapon systems in support of the U.S. Navy. The ideal candidate will have a strong interest in fluid dynamics and will work with a multidisciplinary team to develop advanced analysis methods for deployed systems.

Responsibilities

• Analyze operational patrol data to develop and validate physics-based models of submarine missile launcher systems.
• Perform Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling, including mesh creation, execution, and post-processing on our in-house High-Performance Computing (HPC) cluster.
• Develop deep technical expertise in submarine launcher and other shipboard systems by analyzing operational patrol data.
• Implement coding best practices and develop streamlined, maintainable workflows across the team's modeling and analysis tools.
• Validate simulations against test data to assess the accuracy and fidelity of the simulations.
• Support test and evaluation efforts ranging from small-scale lab tests to full-scale system tests at government facilities or onboard Navy platforms.
• Provide critical technical recommendations to sponsors regarding design solutions proposed by industry partners.
• Prepare technical reports and briefing materials for presentation to internal staff, government, and industry partners.

Qualifications

• Have a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated interest in fluid dynamics through coursework, professional experience, or in a laboratory setting.
• Willingness to learn new tools and embrace the changes needed to transform existing workflows in a developing Digital Engineering environment.
• Willingness and ability to travel occasionally (5%) to U.S. Navy facilities, bases, and contractor sites.
• Ability to obtain an Interim Secret level security clearance by your start date and can ultimately obtain a Secret level clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Significant experience performing modeling and simulation using CFD tools such as OpenFOAM or StarCCM+.
• Experience with data analysis of large, complex mechanical systems.
• Experience working with submarines or missile launcher systems.
• An active Secret or Top Secret security clearance.

About Us

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) brings world-class expertise to our nation’s most critical defense, security, space, and science challenges. We celebrate our differences of perspectives and encourage creativity and bold, new ideas. Our employees enjoy generous benefits, including a robust education assistance program, unparalleled retirement contributions, and a healthy work/life balance. APL’s campus is located in the Baltimore-Washington metro area. Learn more about our career opportunities at https://www.jhuapl.edu/careers.