Design Engineer - Advanced Concepts & Prototypes - Aerospace Research

GE Aerospace; Town of Niskayuna (NY); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation

Job summary

GE Aerospace Research in Niskayuna, NY seeks an early-career Design Engineer to develop mechanical designs and prototype hardware, moving lab concepts toward application-focused demonstrations. You will work with researchers and technicians to design components, create 3D models and drawings, and support reviews and fabrication activities, with emphasis on manufacturing readiness and reliability.

This role offers a hands-on environment in advanced concepts, with relocation assistance available

Qualifications

• Master's degree in STEM fields as listed in the job posting.
• Willing to work from the GE Aerospace Research office in Niskayuna, NY.
• U.S. citizenship required to obtain a security clearance; background check and drug screen.

Responsibilities

• Independently design moderately complex prototype components, brackets, fixtures, and test-article features.
• Create and maintain 3D models, drawings, BOMs, and PLM records per GE Aerospace practices.
• Assess how designs affect interfaces, assembly, manufacturability, safety, and test fidelity.
• Troubleshoot design issues and iterate with guidance from senior engineers.
• Collaborate with researchers, machinists, and manufacturing teams to build and test prototypes.
• Communicate decisions, status, and risks using drawings and analyses.

Skills

Hands-on mechanical design

Three-dimensional CAD

Geometric dimensioning & tolerancing

Tolerance analysis

Design for manufacturing & assembly

Product lifecycle management (PLM)

Education

Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science/Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Computer Science, or related STEM

Tools

PLM tools

CAD software

Job description

Job Description Summary

GE Aerospace Research seeks an exceptional early career engineer to join the Advanced Concepts & Prototypes team as a Design Engineer. In this role, you will develop expertise in mechanical design and build Research leadership skills while creating prototype hardware that helps move new technologies from laboratory concepts toward application-focused demonstrations.

Located in Niskayuna, New York, central to the New York Capital District, GE Aerospace Research builds on more than 125 years of industrial research heritage. Multidisciplinary teams tackle challenging engineering problems and deliver innovative technologies for GE Aerospace and its customers.

The Advanced Concepts & Prototypes team works with researchers across GE Aerospace Research to demonstrate early technologies in more complex, application-focused prototypes. These demonstrations accelerate adoption of new technologies in GE Aerospace products.

Essential Responsibilities

• Independently design moderately complex prototype components, brackets, fixtures, and test-article features using computeraided design tools, design-for-manufacturing principles, material standards, and basic tolerance analysis.
• Create and maintain accurate three-dimensional models, engineering drawings, bills of material, and product-lifecyclemanagement records in accordance with GE Aerospace design practices.
• Evaluate how component and subassembly designs affect system interfaces, alignment, assembly, manufacturability, safety, and test fidelity; identify related design risks and develop practical mitigations with the team.
• Troubleshoot moderate design issues involving tolerance stack-ups, clearances, fit, and assembly sequence; seek guidance from experienced engineers on complex or unfamiliar problems.
• Develop and compare design alternatives, including commercial-off-the-shelf versus custom hardware, and conduct focused feasibility assessments to support design decisions.
• Collaborate with researchers, analysts, test engineers, machinists, manufacturing teams, and assembly technicians to convert prototype objectives into buildable hardware and support design reviews, manufacturing, assembly, hardware checkout, and test activities.
• Take responsibility for assigned design deliverables and communicate decisions, status, technical issues, and schedule risks using drawings, tolerance analyses, clearance assessments, and other engineering evidence.
• Seek and apply feedback, adapt when requirements change, and contribute ideas that improve computer-aided-design and product-lifecycle-management workflows

Required Qualifications

• Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science/Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related STEM discipline.
• Must be willing to work from the GE Aerospace Research office in Niskayuna, New York.
• Projects may require active U.S. Government security clearance. U.S. citizenship is required to obtain a security clearance.
• Due to project requirements and potential access to Controlled Unclassified Information or classified information, U.S. citizenship and proof of U.S. citizenship are required for employment.
• Any offer of employment is conditioned upon successful completion of a background investigation and drug screen.

Desired Characteristics

• Prior internship, co-op, or research experience involving hands-on mechanical design, prototype hardware, manufacturing, assembly, inspection, troubleshooting, or testing.
• Experience with three-dimensional computer-aided design, engineering drawings, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, tolerance analysis, design for manufacturing and assembly, or product-lifecycle-management tools.
• Exceptional academic performance with a research orientation, including thesis work, publications, presentations, patents, or open-source contributions.
• A humble and inclusive working style that seeks learning, feedback, and diverse technical perspectives.
• A focused, rigorous, and transparent approach that uses data, hypotheses, experiments, clear communication, and cross disciplinary collaboration to reach evidence-based technical decisions and connect engineering work to program impact.
• Demonstrated initiative through technical projects, university activities, professional organizations, or community involvement.

Additional Information

The primary work location for this role is GE Aerospace Research in Niskayuna, New York. Relocation