Senior Mechanical Engineer

Position Summary We are seeking a technically rigorous Senior Mechanical Engineer to join a multidisciplinary defense engineering team developing autonomous maritime and airborne systems. This role spans the full engineering lifecycle — from rapid concept prototyping through production-quality design, test execution, and fielding support — in direct support of U.S. Navy and other defense programs.

The successful candidate will bring deep technical grounding in core mechanical engineering disciplines (mechanics of materials, fluid dynamics, thermodynamics and heat transfer), hands-on experience with advanced manufacturing equipment and composite fabrication, and practical familiarity with defense acquisition processes and Systems Engineering best practices.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities Structural & Mechanical Design Design mechanical systems and structures to meet operational requirements with clearly documented and verified safety factors adequate for sustained military use Apply mechanics of materials principles — stress, strain, fatigue, fracture mechanics, and failure mode analysis — to all structural designs

Perform FEA and analytical hand calculations to validate designs prior to fabrication; iterate rapidly based on results

Produce engineering drawings, GD&T specifications, and design documentation compliant with defense acquisition standards

Rapid Prototyping & Manufacturing Execute rapid design-build-test cycles to quickly evaluate concepts and reduce integration risk before committing to production-quality solutions

Operate and program CNC mills, waterjets, and 5-axis laser systems; manage toolpaths and setup for complex geometry parts

Design, lay up, and cure composite structures using traditional wet lay-up, Resin Transfer Molding (RTM), and Vacuum-Assisted Resin Transfer Molding (VaRTM) processes

Specify fiber architectures, core materials, resin systems, and cure cycles to meet structural, thermal, and weight requirements

Support DfM studies and tolerance analyses using GD&T and Solid Works or equivalent CAD tools

Fluids, Thermal & Propulsion Analysis Apply fluid dynamics to internal and external flow problems including hydrodynamic loading, drag reduction, and hydraulic system design

Conduct thermodynamic and heat transfer analyses to ensure thermal margins are maintained across operating environments, including shock, vibration, and submersion

Support design of thermal management systems for electronics, actuators, and propulsion subsystems in maritime and airborne platforms

Test & Field Support Plan and execute System Integration Lab (SIL) and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) test campaigns; develop test procedures, collect and analyze data, and produce test reports

Deploy to field environments in support of Navy, Air Force, and joint military exercises and operational demonstrations

Support instrumentation setup including strain gauges, accelerometers, load cells, and environmental sensors; calibrate and validate measurement systems

Author and review test documentation (TEMP, test plans, test reports) in compliance with DoD 5000 series acquisition standards

Systems Engineering Apply MBSE frameworks to decompose operational requirements into system architectures, interfaces, subsystem specifications, and design behaviors

Author and maintain Systems Engineering documentation including SEPs, ICDs, ECPs, CDRLs, and configuration management records

Identify and manage technical risk through structured FMEA, reliability analysis, and design review processes

Liaise across software, autonomy, electrical, and systems teams to resolve integration conflicts and maintain design coherence

Support configuration control processes through standard CM tools; manage ECPs and PECPs through design change lifecycle

Required Qualifications Candidates must meet one of the following thresholds:

Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering with 5+ years of relevant professional experienceM.S. in Mechanical Engineering with 7-10 years of relevant professional experienceB.S. in Mechanical Engineering field with 10+ years of relevant professional experience

Demonstrated mastery of mechanics of materials: stress analysis, fatigue,…