Mechanical Engineer

The Sustaining Engineering group is responsible for ensuring the reliability, manufacturability, and continuous improvement of released hardware products. The Mechanical Engineer plays a key role in diagnosing field and production issues, implementing design improvements, and supporting change management processes that extend product life and reduce cost of ownership.

As a Mechanical Engineer, you will:

• Lead mechanical investigations and implement corrective actions through structured root-cause analysis.
• Maintain ownership of mechanical design updates (CAD, drawings, GD&T, tolerances).
• Validate design changes through test planning, instrumentation, and data interpretation.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with production, quality, and electrical teams to support released products.
• Must be fully proficient of the following design elements:
  • Statics & Dynamics:
    Load path analysis, free-body diagrams, and mechanical equilibrium.
  • Strength of Materials:
    Stress/strain, deflection, fatigue, and failure criteria.
  • Materials Science:
    Selection for stiffness, toughness, corrosion resistance, and wear; understanding of surface treatments and coatings.
  • Thermal & Environmental Effects:
    Expansion, heat dissipation, and sealing under temperature variation.
  • Mechanisms & Fasteners:
    Bolted joints, press fits, bearings, and kinematic constraints.
  • Vibration & Modal Behavior:
    Understanding of stiffness, damping, and resonance in assemblies.
  • Tolerancing & Fits:
    Application of GD&T and ISO fits for manufacturability and serviceability.
  • Analytical Methods:
    Ability to perform first-order hand calculations before simulation (FEA, CFD, etc.).

Requirements of the job:

• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline (M.S. Preferred)
• 3–6 years of hands-on experience in mechanical design, sustaining, or reliability engineering of electromechanical systems.
• Proficiency in CAD (Solid Works/Creo) and familiarity with PLM systems for change control.
• Demonstrated ability to apply theory to diagnose and prevent mechanical failures in the field.
• Experience with structured problem-solving methods (FMEA, 8D, A3) and test validation.
• Ability to be on-site at Ann Arbor hangar to work hands-on with drones and robotics equipment

Physical requirements:

• Prolonged periods of computer and desk work.
• Ability to move between production, lab, and testing areas.
• May occasionally lift up to 50 pounds.
• Systematic problem solver with strong analytical reasoning.
• Strong theoretical and practical background in mechanical engineering.
• Effective communicator across engineering, production, and operations teams.
• Hands-on approach with comfort in lab and field environments.

Key KPIs to Influence:

• Mean-time-between-Failure (MTBF)
• Mean-time-to-Repair (MTTR)
• Technical Downtime
• Availability

Standard Working Hours: Full-time (40 hrs/wk), typically M-F. Must be available for critical business demands, occasionally requiring work beyond the standard schedule