Engineer 2 at Chenega Corporation

Overview

Come join a company that strives for Extraordinary People and Exceptional Performance! Chenega Services & Federal Solutions, LLC, a Chenega Professional Services’ company, is looking for an Engineer 2 to support the Injury Biomechanics and Protection Group (IBP) of the U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory (USAARL) to provide the scientific, programmatic, and technical support to allow responsive, high quality, and timely mission accomplishment within a flexible and changing environment. 

Our company offers employees the opportunity to join a team where there is a robust employee benefits program, management engagement, quality leadership, an atmosphere of teamwork, recognition for performance, and promotion opportunities. We actively strive to channel our highly engaged employee’s knowledge, critical thinking, innovative solutions for our clients. 

Responsibilities

• Provide experimentations, design, data acquisition, and data analysis services related to the Injury Biomechanics RDT&E program, particularly related to PMHS or human research volunteers; material testing; biomedical instrumentation; ATDs; and experimental blunt, impact, ballistic, blast, and acceleration systems, software and research equipment, including the development of research and execution plans, novel designs, and analyses to address existing or newly defined research needs/gaps according to policy and procedures of USAARL.  All aspects of RDT&E are included, such as Human Subject Research, Research Not Involving Human Subjects (RNIHS), animal and cadaveric studies, and Test and Evaluations.  

• Supports research work plan and proposal development and execution by developing, maintaining, and recommending appropriate experimental fixture design and equipment (including specification requirements, design, fabrication, repair, and operational configurations), testing procedures, and data collection and analysis techniques to execute project goals.   

• Provide engineering knowledge in developing and writing standard operating procedures (SOPs) that will ensure scientific and sound engineering principles and safety procedures are implemented and followed per USAARL and MRDC approval process and existing policies. Such SOPs will be used during the execution of research protocols and research/test plans that may include volunteers, cadaveric specimens, animals, and/or other biological/biomedical and non-biological materials and devices, such as PPE. Such SOPs may include the operation of data acquisition, instrumentation, mechanical material characterization equipment, and impact devices.  

• Under the direction of a study PI, Team Chief, and Group Leadership, develop or modify experimental fixtures and systems, test equipment, data acquisition systems, and associated methodology and training to support high quality data collection for various RDT&E projects with experienced and inexperienced personnel.  

• Within a RDT&E team, actively conduct (hands-on) PMHS research, volunteer research, quality assurance, data analysis, BSL-2 good laboratory practice, and support publication of project findings.   

• Ensure all team members follow laboratory safety and biosafety requirements, in coordination with Group Leadership, Investigators, or other relevant staff.  

• Develop and provide recommendations to improve laboratory data collection along with safety and biosafety requirements, in coordination with Group Leadership, Investigators, or other relevant staff.  

• Execute biomechanical and/or biomedical protocols and analyze data.  

• Instrument military equipment, vehicles, aircraft, cadavers, ATDs, and humans in lab and field environments.  

• Acquiring, analyzing, evaluating, and management of data gathered during research.  

• Ensures accurate and complete documentation protocol execution within timelines of research plans.  

• Confirm to the PI that the entire study team read, understand, and execute data acquisition techniques and procedures within the quality standards and timelines prescribed by the research plan.   

Qualifications

• May work variable work hours to meet performance requirements (e.g., proposal and reporting deadlines, collaborations, and lab and field data collections), including occasional night and weekend hours.  

• Must be able to obtain and maintain a state-issued driver’s license for independent travel to restricted meetings and field-data collection locations.  

• Must have experience in programming, design, experimental testing, instrumentation, kinematic and video motion capture, and use of MATLAB.   

• Must have demonstrated experience with at least 4 of the following research tool groupings: human volunteer protections, numerical analysis, blast, ballistic, impact, and/or mechanical testing devices, personnel protective equipment (PPE), mathematical analysis software (MATLAB), high speed imaging and analysis tools, instrumentation (load cells, accelerometers, pressure gauges, etc.), data acquisition equipment (high rate, high quality), biomechanical research and testing with demonstrated injury biomechanics research; PMHS (post mortem human specimen) research and data, and/or with ATDs (Anthropomorphic Test Devices. 

• Must have extensive experience in at least one of the following: (1) design and fabrication or (2) operating experimental equipment for human volunteers or non-human surrogate research.  

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:  

• Work independently with minimal strategic guidance and with a certain degree of creativity and latitude to address analytic, theoretical, scientific, and operational questions, solve analytic and technical problems, and execution analytic, theoretical, scientific, and administrative solutions.    

• Use strong communication skills and professionalism at all times.  

• Must have knowledge of commonly-used concepts, practices, standards, and procedures within mechanical engineering, materials, biomedical experimentation, design, data acquisition, and mathematics as demonstrated through a relevant engineering degree and coursework from an ABET accredited program and demonstrates experience and skill with a variety of the field's concepts, practices, and procedures.