Engineering Design and Simulation (CAD & Simulation Consultant) - Aerospace / Mechanical / Electrical Engineering

Prolific; Italia; Remote; EUR 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Prolific seeks an experienced engineer to design and review simulation‑led tasks across mechanical, electrical and aerospace domains. You will translate real engineering problems into precise briefs and write graders and reference solutions that verify designs.

The role requires hands‑on CAD and simulation tools, strong fundamentals, and clear technical documentation. This freelance, flexible‑hours project emphasizes independent work, rigorous validation, and robust communication of assumptions

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional experience in mechanical, electrical or aerospace design and simulation.
• Strong fundamentals and ability to define problems robustly.
• Hands-on experience with modelling, simulation and design projects.
• Proficiency with open-source domain tools listed above.
• Python scripting for automation, analysis and results.

Responsibilities

• Design, build and review simulation-led engineering tasks.
• Write graders and reference solutions to verify designs.
• Create precise, measurable briefs and document assumptions clearly.
• Peer review and quality assessment of designs and simulations.

Skills

CAD

Simulation

Python scripting

Analytical problem solving

Independent work

Technical communication

Education

PhD or MSc in mechanical/electrical/aerospace

Tools

FreeCAD

CadQuery

build123d

Gmsh

CalculiX

Code_Aster

MuJoCo

KiCad

ngspice

OpenFOAM

Job description

Engineering Design and Simulation (CAD & Simulation Consultant) - Aerospace / Mechanical / Electrical Engineering

Prolific is not just another player in the AI space – we are building the biggest pool of quality human data in the world.

Over 35,000 AI developers, researchers, and organizations use Prolific to gather data from paid study participants with a wide variety of experiences, knowledge, and skills.

About the Project:

We are building a benchmark of physical engineering design tasks across mechanical, electrical and aerospace engineering. Each task describes what a device must do. An AI agent then uses open-source engineering tools in a sandbox to deliver a design, and an automated grader checks whether it works. You will help create the tasks and graders that measure how well frontier AI models can do real engineering design work.

Role Overview:

We are seeking experienced mechanical, electrical and aerospace engineers to design, build and review simulation‑led engineering tasks. You will turn real engineering problems into precise, measurable briefs, and write the graders and reference solutions that check them. The role needs strong engineering fundamentals, hands‑on simulation experience, and the ability to produce clear, reproducible work.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strong proficiency in CAD engineering and simulation tools
• candidates must have a minimum of 5+ years of experience working in CAD engineering and simulation-focused organizations
• Strong aerospace/mechanical/electrical engineering fundamentals
• Hands‑on experience with modeling, simulation, or design projects
• Analytical mindset with strong problem‑solving skills
• Ability to work independently in a fast‑paced environment
• Robust engineering problem definition
• Modelling and simulation
• Analytical validation and sanity checking
• Design trade‑off analysis
• Technical documentation
• Peer review and quality assessment
• Clear communication of assumptions and engineering decisions
• Proficiency in the following tools as per their domain:
• CAD: FreeCAD, CadQuery, build123d (STEP output)
• Structural: Gmsh + CalculiX; Code_Aster
• Motion: MuJoCo or another scripted multibody simulator that supports closed loops
• Electrical: ngspice, KiCad; open PDK flows (e.g. SKY130 with Magic / KLayout) for IC layout
• Aero / fluids: XFOIL, AVL, OpenVSP / VSPAERO, XFLR5, MachUpX; OpenFOAM where the budget allows

Key Requirements:

• 5 + years of professional experience in mechanical, electrical or aerospace design and simulation
• Strong engineering fundamentals and the ability to define a problem robustly
• Hands‑on experience with modelling, simulation and design projects
• Proficiency in open-source tools for your domain:
• CAD: FreeCAD, CadQuery, build123d (STEP output)
• Structural: Gmsh + CalculiX; Code_Aster
• Motion: MuJoCo or another scripted multibody simulator that supports closed loops
• Electrical: ngspice, KiCad; open PDK flows (e.g. SKY130 with Magic / KLayout) for IC layout
• Aero / fluids: XFOIL, AVL, OpenVSP / VSPAERO, XFLR5, MachUpX; OpenFOAM where the budget allows
• Python scripting for automation, analysis and result processing
• Analytical validation and sanity checking
• Clear technical documentation and communication of assumptions

Preferred Qualifications:

• PhD or MSc in a mechanical, electrical or aerospace discipline
• Experience writing automated graders, test suites or verification scripts
• Experience with Docker and headless tool pipelines
• Prior experience at leading aerospace or engineering companies
• Commitment: minimum 20 hrs/week (including weekends), up to 60 hours in total for the project
• Employment type: Freelance