Mechanical Test Engineer

Salient Motion

$110K — $130K *
Aerospace & Defense
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • B.S. in Mechanical, Aerospace, or related engineering discipline.
  • 2+ years of qualification or environmental test experience on aerospace, defense, or comparable hardware.
  • Hands-on experience with DO-160 and/or MIL-STD-810 test campaigns.
  • Proficiency with mechanical test instrumentation and data analysis systems.
  • Experience designing test fixtures and mechanical setups.
  • Strong technical writing skills for test documentation.
  • U.S. Person status required per ITAR, with ability to travel internationally.

Responsibilities

  • Plan, write, and execute mechanical qualification and acceptance test procedures.
  • Develop test plans and reports compliant with DO-160G and MIL-STD-810H standards.
  • Design and build mechanical test fixtures and data acquisition configurations.
  • Execute load, life, durability, and environmental testing for cycle reliability validation.
  • Manage outsourced lab testing and witness tests at customer sites both domestically and internationally.
  • Coordinate testing schedules, witness points, and acceptance criteria with customers and labs.
  • Analyze test data to identify mechanical failure modes and engage with design engineering for corrective actions.

Benefits

  • Exceptional healthcare benefits with medical costs covered 100% by the company.
  • Life insurance coverage at 2x salary, fully funded by the employer.
  • Flexible PTO to promote work-life balance.
  • 401K plan with company contributions.
  • Access to financial wellness resources and initiatives.
Full Job Description
**Applicants must be U.S. Citizens or U.S. Permanent Residents (Green Card holders) to meet customer and regulatory requirements**

What you'll do:

This role focuses on the mechanical and environmental side of qualification: vibration, shock, thermal, humidity, altitude, and life/durability testing, including the design of test fixtures and instrumentation. The role includes witnessing tests at customer and partner sites, both domestically and abroad.
  • Plan, write, and execute mechanical qualification and acceptance test procedures for actuators and integrated LRUs.
  • Develop test plans and reports to DO-160G and MIL-STD-810H, including vibration, shock, thermal, humidity, and altitude testing to support qualification as well as unit acceptance testing.
  • Design and build mechanical test fixtures, load setups, instrumentation, and data acquisition configurations.
  • Plan and execute load, life and durability, and environmental testing to validate cycle reliability requirements.
  • Manage testing at outsourced labs and witness tests at customer and partner facilities, domestically and internationally.
  • Coordinate test schedules, witness points, and acceptance criteria with customers and labs.
  • Analyze test data, identify mechanical failure modes, and drive root-cause/corrective action with design engineering.
  • Support development of an in-house qualification test lab as capability matures.

What you need:
  • B.S. in Mechanical, Aerospace, or related engineering discipline.
  • 2+ years of qualification or environmental test experience on aerospace, defense, or comparable hardware.
  • Hands-on experience executing DO-160 and/or MIL-STD-810 mechanical and environmental test campaigns.
  • Proficiency with mechanical test instrumentation, load cells, accelerometers, data acquisition systems, and data analysis.
  • Experience designing test fixtures and mechanical instrumentation setups.
  • Strong technical writing for test plans and reports.
  • U.S. Person status required per ITAR and ability to travel internationally (valid passport required).

Nice to have:
  • Experience with electromechanical actuators, motors, gear trains, or precision mechanisms.
  • Thermal, vibration and shock test familiarity (fixture design, modal considerations, test tailoring).
  • Exposure to commercial/defense certification environments.
  • Experience managing third-party test labs and witnessing customer acceptance testing.

What we have to offer:

We are not just building components. We are reshaping the future of the Aerospace and Defense component industry, which is a $300B+ market! Come join us and help build next generation systems that will make a massive impact at global scale.
  • Competitive compensation: $110,000 to $130,000 base salary + equity
  • Exceptional healthcare benefits - Medical is 100% covered by the company
  • Life Insurance (2x Salary) 100% covered by the company
  • Flexible PTO, 401K, Financial Wellness Resources, and more

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