Mechanical Engineer (Entry Level/EIT)

Sangster Engineering Ltd; Amherst; On-site; CAD 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

Sangster Engineering Ltd, based in Amherst, Nova Scotia, seeks an entry-level Mechanical Engineer (EIT) to grow into our hands-on design and fabrication work. You will design parts, build them, and learn quickly as you own projects end to end from CAD to fabricated hardware.

As a recent graduate, you’ll contribute to parts and assemblies, ensure fit and function, and develop practical skills in a small, fast-moving team in Amherst.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field; recent graduates or equivalents welcome.
• Foundational CAD skills and design-for-fabrication awareness.
• Hands-on approach; ability to see ideas through to built parts.

Responsibilities

• Own tasks end to end from concept to fabrication with team support.
• Translate CAD concepts into hardware and guide fabrication to working parts.
• Ensure quality and reliability of designs that withstand real-world use.

Skills

Mechanical design

Design for fabrication

Practical reliability

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field

Tools

SolidWorks

Inventor

Fusion 360

Job description

Sangster Engineering designs and manufactures specialized training equipment for military, law enforcement, and professional end-users worldwide. We are a small, fast-moving engineering company based in Amherst, Nova Scotia.

About the Role

We're looking for an entry-level Mechanical Engineer (EIT) to grow into our mechanical design and fabrication work. This is a hands-on, high-ownership role. You'll be designing parts, building them, and finding out fast whether they work. Even as a recent graduate, you'll own your work end to end, taking designs from CAD to fabricated hardware with real responsibility from day one.

If you like taking a design from sketch to something physical that works, want to learn quickly, and want your work to actually matter, read on.

What You'll Bring

We don't expect years of experience. Coursework, internships, and personal projects all count. Foundational skills and exposure in these areas:

• Mechanical design: CAD modelling and detailing of parts and assemblies that actually get built (any CAD platform is fine; school and personal projects count).
• Design for fabrication: an understanding that a drawing has to survive contact with a real shop: steel, welding, machining, and tolerances (exposure through a shop course, co-op, or your own garage projects all counts).
• Practical reliability: an instinct for building things that hold up in the real world, not just on the screen (if you've ever had to fix something you designed, that's exactly the experience we mean).

What You'll Own

• Your work. You'll own your tasks and projects end to end, with support from the team as you grow.
• From CAD to hardware. You'll carry designs from concept and drawings through fabrication support to something built and working — not hand off a model and walk away.
• Quality. Careful, reliable engineering is the standard: things fit, things work, and things last.

What we're looking for

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field; recent graduates or those with equivalent practical experience are encouraged to apply.
• Registered or eligible to register as an Engineer-in-Training (EIT) with Engineers Nova Scotia.
• Hands-on experience with Claude is a real plus. We use Claude Code in our day-to-day work.
• Working comfort in a CAD environment (e.g., SolidWorks, Inventor, Fusion 360, or similar).
• High autonomy and strong self-direction.
• Good problem-solving and communication skills.
• Comfortable on a very small team, wearing many hats.

Nice to Have

• Hands-on shop or site exposure doing welding, machining, assembly, or construction (a summer job or hobby counts).
• Exposure to structural or thermal/airflow analysis, whether hand calcs or FEA (a class project is fine).