Mechanical Design Engineer

There was a time when all of America believed that the future of the physical world could be radically different. The engineers of the mid-1900s put a man on the moon in eight years, designed and built planes and submarines from scratch in under three, and conceived of building things we wouldn’t even be able to dream up today.

Today, the last of the engineers who imagined and built these systems are retiring. As they go, we lose not only the engineering knowledge gained from their decades of imagination and trial-and-error, but also the spirit that made that imagination possible.

Amca is working day-in and day-out to restore America’s ability to engineer anything that our critical systems depend on, and reinvigorate the cycle of creation that allows imagination to shape physical reality. We rapidly develop and manufacture new critical components and subsystems required to build and sustain the planes, military vehicles, and core infrastructure America needs. By restoring the capability of our antiquated supply chains, we increase the country’s capacity to imagine and realize new systems, and make a physical world that looks very different from today.

Overview

The Mechanical Design Engineering role is responsible for developing flight hardware for new and existing airframes. You will serve as the extreme owner of the product from concept through qualification, and eventually production handoff. Your day will consist of designing, analyzing, and building a wide range of fluid and structural systems. Most importantly you will own the relationship between customer level requirements and the build/test engineering teams.

Responsibilities

• Own design and prototyping of new mechanical hardware
• Develop state-of-the-art, manufacturable, avionics hardware (buttons, switches, dials), flow control devices (valves, regulators, solenoids) or mechanisms (actuators, switches, pistons). Question requirements, simplify, and accelerate aerospace component deliveries
• Generate and maintain detailed drawings, component specifications, analysis and risk assessments. We believe design engineers should perform their own concept design, technical analysis and first unit builds – we minimize compartmentalized duties wherever possible
• Spearhead root cause investigations that arise in development, production, and test. Implement corrective actions to prevent repeat failures
• Set the standard for rigorous component design and qualification testing. As a member of an early-stage startup, you will be integral in defining company design and testing policies
• Act as the extreme owner for the parts you work on, you will be expected to be the ultimate authority for components you develop and be able to work closely with customers and manufacturers as problems arise
• Prototype new components at our in-house R&D lab. You will be expected to be intimately involved with any prototype development
• Work with test engineering to define and execute qualification plans
• Work closely with build engineers to ensure new designs are manufacturable at production facilities and DFM feedback is implemented

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's or advanced degree in aerospace engineering, manufacturing engineering, materials engineering, mechanical engineering or engineering physics
• 1+ years of mechanical or fluids design, analysis, or build experience (student project team and internship experience qualifies)
• Strong understanding of engineering first principles, specifically with regards to thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, and solid mechanics

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills, enthusiasm for problem solving, and desire to optimize modern aerospace production and design processes
• 2+ years of professional experience in the field of aerospace/mechanical engineering
• 2+ years of experience with GD&T concepts
• Strong project management skills and effective communication of technical concepts across multi-disciplinary teams
• Experience designing, building, testing and troubleshooting mechanical systems
• Experience with pressurized components (valves, regulators, tubes, pipes, etc.)
• Experience with finite element analysis (FEA) software packages
• Experience with Siemens NX or other similar CAD package
• Experience using test instrumentation and control components (e.g. pressure transducers, thermocouples, resistance temperature detectors, relays, solenoid valves, etc.)

Additional Requirements

• Travel to vendors and other Amca sites as needed
• Able to work flexible hours and occasional weekend support as needed

Annual Salary Range

$100,000—$130,000 USD

This position requires use of information which is subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). All applicants must be U.S. persons within the meaning of ITAR. ITAR defines a US person as: any individual who is granted U.S. citizenship; or. any individual who is granted U.S. permanent residence ("Green Card" holder); or. any individual who is granted status as a "protected person" under 8 U.S.C 1324b(a)(3).

The Advanced Manufacturing Company of America prohibits discrimination or harassment based on the following categories: race, color, religion, religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), national origin, ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition (including cancer and genetic characteristics), genetic information, marital status, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), gender, gender identity, gender expression, age (40 years and over), sexual orientation, veteran and/or military status, protected medical leaves (requesting or approved for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act or the California Family Rights Act), domestic violence victim status, political affiliation, and any other status protected by state or federal law.