Principal Engineer Jobs in Irvine, CA

At Cadence, we hire and develop leaders and innovators who want to make an impact on the world of technology.

We are looking for a senior-level engineer to help research, design, develop, and improve advanced nonlinear finite element analysis technologies for MSC Nastran, Marc, and related simulation products. This role is ideal for someone with deep expertise in nonlinear mechanics, numerical methods, and engineering software development who enjoys solving complex technical problems and building reliable, high-quality simulation capabilities.

Key Responsibilities

Research, design, and develop advanced algorithms for nonlinear finite element analysis to support multidisciplinary simulations and technology integration within MSC Nastran, Marc, and related products. Develop, maintain, enhance, and test linear and nonlinear solution capabilities, including implementation, validation, optimization, and performance improvements. Create representative engineering models to verify, demonstrate, and benchmark linear and nonlinear analysis capabilities. Identify, investigate, and report software defects, enhancement requests, numerical issues, and performance concerns to support continuous product improvement. Create and maintain test cases, benchmark models, automated tools, and regression testing workflows for validation and performance evaluation. Support QA activities, including benchmarking, certification, validation, release testing, and compliance with established product quality metrics and guidelines. Prepare and maintain technical documentation for product enhancements, new features, software improvements, QA procedures, testing methodologies, benchmarks, and training materials. Collaborate with engineering, QA, and product teams to improve product performance, reliability, usability, and release readiness. Perform additional duties and responsibilities as needed to support evolving business and organizational priorities.

Senior-Level Expectations

• Lead the design and development of complex nonlinear analysis technologies and co-simulation capabilities.
• Provide technical guidance, code review, and mentorship to other engineers.
• Participate in architecture reviews, design discussions, roadmap planning, and strategic technology decisions.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend approaches that enhance Hexagon Nastran’s simulation capabilities, product quality, and competitive position.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong understanding of nonlinear mechanics, numerical methods, contact mechanics, contact algorithms, and finite element methods, including implicit and explicit nonlinear analysis technologies.
• Ability to develop, evaluate, review, maintain, and validate engineering software code using sound engineering judgment.
• Hands-on experience in two or more of the following areas: contact mechanics; large deformation and large rotation; finite element formulation and element development; fluid-structure interaction; computational fluid dynamics; heat transfer; fracture and failure mechanics; solution algorithms and numerical methods; electrical and electromagnetic analysis; acoustics; or geometry modeling and NURBS technologies.
• Strong engineering analysis, debugging, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to create clear design documentation, technical specifications, test plans, and professional reports using Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and related tools.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills in English, with the ability to collaborate across engineering, QA, and product teams.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend approaches that enhance Hexagon Nastran’s simulation capabilities, product quality, and competitive position.

Required and Preferred Experience

• Experience developing and implementing finite element analysis software, user subroutines for commercial FEA packages, and numerical material models.
• Strong programming skills in Fortran and C/C++, with working knowledge of Python, Linux shell scripting, and other scripting languages.
• Experience with MSC Nastran, Marc, or similar commercial finite element analysis software.
• Background in nonlinear solid mechanics analysis, including geometric nonlinearity, contact mechanics, nonlinear material behavior, large deformation, and large rotation formulations.
  
• Education
• PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Applied Mechanics, Computational Mechanics, or a related field.

The annual salary range for California is $117,600 to $218,400. You may also be eligible to receive incentive compensation: bonus, equity, and benefits. Sales positions generally offer a competitive On Target Earnings (OTE) incentive compensation structure. Please note that the salary range is a guideline and compensation may vary based on factors such as qualifications, skill level, competencies and work location. Our benefits programs include: paid vacation and paid holidays, 401(k) plan with employer match, employee stock purchase plan, a variety of medical, dental and vision plan options, and more.

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