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

Prolific; United States; On-site; USD 83,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Prolific is seeking experienced mechanical, electrical and aerospace engineers to design, build and review simulation-led engineering tasks. You will translate real engineering problems into precise briefs, and write graders and reference solutions for automated evaluation.

Ideal candidates have hands-on modelling and design experience, strong fundamentals, and proficiency with open-source tools across CAD, structural, motion, electronics and CFD domains.

Qualifications

• 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 tools like FreeCAD, CadQuery, build123d; structural tools like Gmsh/CalculiX and Code_Aster; motion tools like MuJoCo; electronics tools like ngspice and KiCad; aero/CFD tools like OpenFOAM where budget allows.
• Python scripting for automation, analysis and result processing.
• Analytical validation and sanity checking.
• Clear technical documentation and communication of assumptions.

Responsibilities

• Design, build and review simulation-led engineering tasks across mechanical, electrical and aerospace domains.
• Turn real engineering problems into precise, measurable briefs and write graders and reference solutions.
• Develop and refine graders, test scripts, or verification routines to ensure robust design evaluation.
• Document assumptions, decisions and methodologies clearly for reproducibility.
• Collaborate to ensure quality and independent peer review in a fast-paced environment.

Skills

CAD engineering

Simulation tools

Python scripting

Problem solving

Documentation

Education

PhD or MSc in mechanical, electrical or aerospace

Tools

FreeCAD

CadQuery

build123d

Gmsh

CalculiX

Code_Aster

MuJoCo

KiCad

ngspice

OpenFOAM

XFOIL

AVL

OpenVSP

VSPAERO

Job description

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

About Prolific

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