Aerospace Defense Mechanical Test Engineer

Salient Motion, Inc.; Hawthorne, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Health insurance (100% covered)

Life Insurance (2x Salary)

Flexible PTO

401K

Job summary

Salient Motion, Inc. in Hawthorne, CA, is seeking an experienced Mechanical Qualification Engineer to lead vibration, thermal, humidity, altitude, and life testing for aerospace-grade hardware.

You will design fixtures, witness tests at customer and partner sites, and develop robust test documentation. The role focuses on DO-160G and MIL-STD-810H campaigns, requires hands-on instrumentation know-how, and involves travel domestically and internationally.

Qualifications

• BS in Mechanical, Aerospace, or related engineering required.
• Minimum 2+ years in qualification or environmental test in aerospace/defense hardware.
• Hands-on DO-160 and MIL-STD-810 test campaign experience.
• Experience with test instrumentation, load cells, accelerometers, and data analysis.
• Ability to travel internationally and operate under ITAR.

Responsibilities

• Plan, write, and execute mechanical qualification and acceptance test procedures.
• Develop test plans and reports to DO-160G and MIL-STD-810H.
• Design mechanical test fixtures, load setups, instrumentation, and data acquisition.
• Plan and execute life, durability, and environmental testing for reliability.
• Witness tests at customer and partner sites domestically and internationally.
• Coordinate test schedules and acceptance criteria with customers and labs.
• Analyze test data to identify failure modes and drive corrective action.
• Support building an in-house qualification lab as capability grows.

Skills

Mechanical engineering

Test instrumentation

Data acquisition

Technical writing

Travel international

ITAR compliance

Education

B.S. in Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering

Tools

Load cells

Accelerometers

Data acquisition systems

Job description

Salient Motion, Inc. in Hawthorne, CA, is seeking an experienced Mechanical Qualification Engineer to lead vibration, thermal, humidity, altitude, and life testing for aerospace-grade hardware.

You will design fixtures, witness tests at customer and partner sites, and develop robust test documentation. The role focuses on DO-160G and MIL-STD-810H campaigns, requires hands-on instrumentation know-how, and involves travel domestically and internationally.