Mechanical Design Engineer

Pinnacle Government Solutions is a minority-owned small business that provides Software, AI/ML, and Cloud Engineering Solutions for our Department of Defense, Intelligence Community, and Federal Civilian agencies. We bring SME-level expertise and over five decades of combined industry knowledge and Talent Acquisition experience. We believe in getting it right for our customers and our country.

We are looking for a Mechanical Design Engineer 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 may be asked to work late hours and weekends if needed to accomplish the mission.

• 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
• 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

• 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

• 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

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.