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Senior Mechanical Design Engineer [Propulsion]

Design and mature mechanical and thermal systems for high-power hybrid-electric propulsion, owning critical hardware from concept through production. The role requires 5+ years of complex mechanical design experience, rotating-machinery expertise, CAD/GD&T proficiency, and hands-on hardware development.

About the job

Responsibilities

  • Lead design and analysis of rotating machinery subsystems, including turbines, motors, and generators, addressing vibration, dynamic balancing, bearings, and seals.
  • Resolve hardware issues identified during prototype and early production builds.
  • Mentor junior and mid-level engineers and provide technical guidance.
  • Contribute to propulsion-team planning, technical strategy, design reviews, and technical standards.
  • Create and maintain 3D CAD models and 2D production drawings with GD&T and tolerance stack-ups.
  • Perform DFM/DFA trade studies balancing weight, cost, thermal performance, reliability, and manufacturability.
  • Work with suppliers and internal teams to assess manufacturing feasibility and resolve build issues.
  • Support prototype assembly, integration, testing, debugging, and root-cause analysis.
  • Conduct hand calculations and FEA to inform design decisions.
  • Develop thermal-management strategies involving air or liquid cooling, heat sinks, thermal interface materials, enclosures, and insulation.
  • Translate test data and build feedback into design improvements.
  • Document designs, analyses, and design changes.

Requirements

  • Bachelor's or master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
  • 5+ years of experience in mechanical design of complex systems.
  • Experience with high-speed rotating machinery, including vibration, critical speed, dynamic balancing, bearings, and seals.
  • Ownership of a critical assembly or subsystem from concept through build, test, and production.
  • Proficiency in 3D CAD; NX preferred.
  • Ability to create production-quality drawings with GD&T and perform tolerance stack-ups.
  • Experience designing for machining, sheet metal, additive manufacturing, and other processes.
  • Hands-on experience building, testing, and troubleshooting hardware.
  • Experience with electromechanical systems such as motors, power electronics, rotating machinery, batteries, and cooling systems.
  • Ability to debug issues, perform root-cause analysis, and drive corrective actions.
  • Experience in fast-paced, iterative hardware-development environments.
  • Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.
  • Technical leadership experience, such as leading design reviews, mentoring engineers, or setting technical standards.

Nice-to-Haves

  • Propulsion or electromechanical-systems experience.
  • Thermal management of high-power systems, including liquid cooling, forced air, and heat exchangers.
  • Rotor dynamics or vibration-analysis tools, including modal and critical-speed analysis.
  • Thermal or structural analysis using FEA, analytical modeling, or CFD.
  • Prototype-build and early-production experience.
  • Familiarity with PLM systems, especially Teamcenter.
  • Aerospace, automotive/EV powertrain, robotics, or similar high-performance hardware experience.

Skills

Mechanical Design, Rotating Machinery, Nx, CAD, GD&T, Tolerance Stack-Ups, Dfm/Dfa, FEA, Thermal Management, Rotor Dynamics, Vibration Analysis, Cfd, Root Cause Analysis, Teamcenter, Power Electronics

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