Mechanical Design Engineer

Overview

Wild West Systems is an American defense technology company with the mission to equip the civilized world with superior and affordable arms and advanced technologies - to dominate the battlefield of present and future threats, in a new era of asymmetrical warfare. We fuse versatile domain experience with novel approach and creativity to change the paradigm of defense - both for military arenas and civilian soft targets.

We re an early stage startup, rapidly moving and growing.

• Deep love for America and passion for Wild West System s mission.
• Self-starter, capable of performing tasks as an individual as well as working well in a team.
• Servant-leader mentality, extreme ownership, willing to participate in different and rapidly changing projects in a dynamic environment. Bias for action.
• ITAR REQUIREMENT:
  To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

As a Mechanical Design Engineer, your job is to design, build, test, and ship mechanical systems that survive real-world use
.

From early prototypes to scaled production, you own your parts end-to-end. If it breaks, you fix it. If it doesn t exist yet, you design it. If it works on paper but fails in the field, it s not done.

Extreme ownership is the baseline. You will be expected to work late hours and weekends if needed to accomplish the mission.

Your work directly arms the warfighter. That responsibility is non-negotiable. Real ownership, not task lists, Hardware that goes from bench to field fast, A team that values execution over ego, A mission that actually matters.

• The mechanical integrity, performance, and manufacturability of your designs
• Components, mechanisms, and structures from concept → production
• Iteration speed without sacrificing reliability or safety
• Getting parts built, assembled, tested, and validated-no handoffs
• If it touches metal, motion, load paths or force, you re accountable

• Design components with full lifecycle responsibility: calculations, tolerances, GD&T, drawings, and validation
• Design in context-your parts must work with everyone else s, under real loads

• Design and integrate linkages, gears, motors, actuators, and assemblies that work under stress

• Build fast using in-house tools or external vendors
• Own the loop from CAD → part → install → revision

• Test like it s going to the field-because it is
• Measure performance, identify failure modes, and fix them
• Paper success doesn t count. Field performance does

• Design for manufacturability from day one
• Work directly with manufacturing and machinists to ensure precision, repeatability, and scale

• Source materials, components, and vendors to keep builds moving
• Solve supply problems without waiting for permission

• Priorities shift. Problems emerge. You step in
• No "that s not my job." Only "what needs to be done."

• Document designs, tests, processes, and lessons learned so hardware can be built again
• Raise the bar on safety, reliability, and speed every cycle

• Proven, hands-on mechanical design experience
• Strong CAD and GD&T capability
• Ability to work independently in high-stakes, fast-moving environments
• Bias for action, high accountability, and resilience under pressure

• Weapons systems, UAVs, aerospace, or high-performance mechanisms
• Designing hardware that survives testing not just reviews it
• Additive manufacturing and 3D printer operation/maintenance
• Designing for production-not just prototypes
• Startup or small-team environments where impact is immediate
• Onshape experience a plus; willingness to transition required

This role is assigned onsite at our Leander, TX facility.

We are…