Mechanical Designer

Mechanical Designer

Location: Webster, Texas (Houston area)

Employment Type: 2-year contract

Work Schedule: Up to 29 hours per week

Citizenship Requirement: U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident (Green Card holder); must successfully complete a U.S. government background check

Position Summary

Aegis Aerospace has a long legacy of developing space hardware payloads for the International Space Station and, more recently, for NASA’s lunar missions. We’re expanding our portfolio with another ISS payload and hardware for a commercial space station, and we’re seeking a skilled Mechanical Designer to join our project team in Webster, Texas.

The successful candidate will be an experienced CAD designer who designs flight hardware and partners with engineering, manufacturing, procurement, and quality teams to resolve design-related issues and support hardware build, testing, and integration.

This is a 2-year contract position with a work schedule of up to 29 hours per week.

Responsibilities

• Design mechanical components and complex assemblies using SOLIDWORKS and established company tools, processes, and procedures.
• Optimize designs for efficiency and cost-effectiveness by applying Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) principles, supporting the transition from concept to production.
• Prepare, review, and release 2D drawings using Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) to ensure technical accuracy, functional integrity, and compliance with project schedules.
• Manage the complete engineering change lifecycle, including generating and processing Engineering Change Notices (ECNs) to document modifications and maintain version control.
• Use SOLIDWORKS PDM for secure file storage, revision control, and workflow management, ensuring team members have access to the latest design iterations.
• Perform receiving inspections of fabricated hardware to ensure compliance with specifications and drawings.
• Contribute to test procedures that verify mechanical hardware compliance with specifications and drawings.
• Support engineering, procurement, manufacturing, and testing of mechanical hardware to meet project milestones and quality standards.
• Contribute to safety documentation and presentations to safety review boards as required.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including electrical, systems, and quality engineers, to support project success.
• Perform other duties as assigned in support of project objectives.
• Minimal travel is required. Occasional evening or weekend work may be necessary to meet project deadlines.

Minimum Qualifications

• At least 5 years of proficiency with solid-modeling CAD software for designing mechanical structures, mechanisms, or assemblies.
• At least 3 years of proficiency with SOLIDWORKS, including 3D modeling, assemblies, and 2D drafting, and with SOLIDWORKS PDM for data and workflow management.
• Proven experience designing for manufacturing processes such as milling, turning, and fabrication.
• Strong working knowledge of GD&T and its application in industrial production environments.
• Experience with formal change management processes, configuration management, and maintaining accurate bills of materials (BOMs) within ERP/MRP systems.
• Excellent organizational and time-management skills, with sound engineering judgment.
• Highly dependable, self-motivated, and accountable, with the ability to work effectively in a team or independently.
• U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency (Green Card holder) and the ability to successfully complete a U.S. government background check.

Desired Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Technology, or a related technical field from an accredited college or university. Candidates with relevant experience…