Senior Mechanical Engineer

Location:

Austin, Texas (fully on-site)

Travel:
About 10 to 15%

Our client is an Austin-based R&D defense company doing government-funded research for the Navy and other Department of War customers.

The role sits in a small, collaborative, Navy-focused Engineering group that works alongside in-house materials and testing specialists. Current programs span shipboard handling and launch hardware, composite structures, and repair technologies for Navy and special operations platforms.

The group has more funded work than people, so this hire steps directly onto active programs and, within about a year, begins winning their own work. Engineers own their work end to end, understanding the customer's problem, designing and analyzing hardware, building and testing prototypes, reporting results, and writing the proposals that fund the next program.

Everyone writes proposals, and the company trains engineers in its process. A record of wins is a plus, not a requirement. Clear technical writing is essential, since every project ends in a report or a proposal.

• Design hardware from concept through prototype in Solid Works (drawings, BOMs, manufacturability reviews) and integrate mechanical, electrical, and software subsystems
• Perform structural and engineering analysis with FEA (Nastran/FEMAP, Solid Works Simulation) and CFD, and apply composites with in-house materials and testing specialists.
• Build and test prototypes in the lab and in the field; write and test procedures; analyze test data; and document results in technical reports and presentations.

• Execute active Navy and special operations programs, managing tasks, budgets, vendors, subcontractors, and schedules, and grow into the program manager role
• Work directly with government customers at Navy warfare centers and program offices, including site visits and shipboard testing.
• Identify opportunities, team with subcontractors and universities, and write technical volumes and cost estimates for SBIR/STTR, BAA, and OTA proposals.s
• Mentor junior engineers and technicians, and maintain rigorous documentation (lab notebooks, drawings, test logs)

Seeking a mechanical engineer with 8 to 15+ years of hands-on hardware development. The best fits are generalists who have designed, analyzed, built, and tested hardware themselves, with titles such as Mechanical Engineer, Aerospace Engineer, Design Engineer, Research Mechanical Engineer, or Engineer/Scientist.

• Bachelor's in mechanical or aerospace engineering, or a related field (master's or PhD preferred)
• Hands-on design, build, and test of hardware for defense, maritime, aerospace, or space programs
• Proficiency in 3D CAD (Solid Works preferred) and finite element analysis
• Strong technical writing and presentation skills, and confidence in working directly with customers
• A stable career history and eligibility for a U.S. Government Secret clearance (active clearance a plus)
• Engineers earlier in their careers with strong, directly relevant experience are also encouraged to apply and may be considered at a level matched to their experience.

• Undersea warfare, unmanned underwater or maritime systems, or space systems experience
• High-performance composites and advanced materials: design, analysis, fabrication, repair or testing
• Relationships with Navy research sponsors such as NSWC Carderock or Dahlgren, NUWC, ONR, NAVSEA or SOCOM.
• SBIR/STTR, BAA, OTA or IRAD proposal or program management experience
• Launcher and weapon systems, missiles or rocket motors, shipboard equipment, ordnance handling, aircraft hardware,…