Lead Mechanical Engineer

Amca

$150K — $200K *
Aerospace & Defense
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Experience in aerospace or defense mechanical engineering, focusing on product qualification and production.
  • Expertise in a specific mechanical area: fluid systems, mechanisms, structural design, or avionics packaging.
  • Hands-on experience; comfortable working in labs and protoshops.
  • Strong knowledge of thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, and solid mechanics principles.
  • Familiarity with Siemens NX CAD software and FEA tools.
  • Knowledge of MIL-STD-810, DO-160, and aerospace qualification standards.
  • Proactive and self-directed; capable of working with minimal supervision.
  • Emerging leadership skills; able to mentor and guide less experienced engineers.

Responsibilities

  • Lead design decisions for mechanical systems from concept to production.
  • Oversee detailed design documentation including specs and risk assessments.
  • Manage the transition of hardware from prototyping to qualification and production.
  • Conduct qualification tests in compliance with aerospace standards.
  • Investigate root causes of issues in development and production, implementing corrective actions.
  • Ensure designs are reliable, manufacturable, and cost-effective from the outset.
  • Mentor junior engineers and foster a collaborative team environment.
  • Work with cross-functional teams to integrate mechanical systems into overall projects.
  • Engage in design reviews to enhance technical standards across the engineering team.

Benefits

  • Opportunity for professional growth into leadership roles.
  • Hands-on role in a well-equipped R&D lab and protoshop.
  • Collaborative work with cross-disciplinary teams.
  • Access to advanced aerospace engineering practices and standards.
  • Involvement in customer-facing engagements as an industry expert.
Full Job Description
Overview:

You will be a senior technical contributor on Amca's mechanical engineering team, owning the design, build, or test of flight hardware within a defined mechanical discipline - such as fluid systems, mechanisms, structural assemblies, cockpit avionics hardware, or power electronics packaging. You will work closely with the Mechanical Engineering Manager and cross-functional teams to take hardware from concept through qualification and into production. This is a deeply hands-on role for an engineer who thrives on hard technical problems, takes full ownership of their work, and is ready to grow into broader leadership over time.

Responsibilities:
  • Serve as the technical lead for a defined mechanical discipline, owning design decisions and outcomes end-to-end
  • Execute and oversee detailed design work including drawings, GD&T, FEA, component specifications, and risk assessments
  • Drive hardware from bench prototype through qualification and production handoff, leveraging Amca's in-house R&D lab and protoshop
  • Lead or support qualification campaigns including functional, environmental, pneumatic, hydraulic, and structural testing per MIL-STD and applicable aerospace standards
  • Spearhead root cause investigations in development, production, and test; own corrective actions through resolution
  • Ensure designs are optimized from day one for reliability, manufacturability, and cost
  • Provide technical mentorship and informal guidance to less experienced engineers on the team
  • Collaborate closely with mechanical, electrical, software, and build engineering to deliver integrated hardware systems
  • Participate in design reviews and contribute to raising the technical bar across the mechanical engineering function
  • Support customer-facing engagements and program reviews as a subject matter expert in your discipline

Qualifications:
  • Substantial experience in mechanical engineering for aerospace or defense hardware, with a strong track record taking products from concept through flight qualification and into production
  • Deep technical expertise in at least one mechanical discipline - such as fluid systems (pneumatic or hydraulic), mechanisms, structural design, cockpit avionics packaging, or power electronics enclosures - with working fluency across adjacent areas
  • Hands-on and lab-comfortable; expected to be in the protoshop and on the bench, not just at a CAD station
  • Strong command of engineering first principles across thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, and solid mechanics; proven ability to simplify requirements and cut complexity
  • Experience with Siemens NX or equivalent CAD package; familiarity with FEA tools and test instrumentation
  • Familiarity with MIL-STD-810, DO-160, and other aerospace qualification frameworks
  • Independent, direct, and action-oriented; takes full ownership and thrives with minimal oversight
  • Nascent leadership instincts - comfortable informally guiding peers and ready to grow into broader responsibility over time


Annual Salary Range

$150,000-$200,000 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).

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