Mechanical Design Engineer

REGENT; North Kingstown (RI); On-site; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Health insurance

401(k) plan

Flexible time off

Relocation package

Free catered lunches

Learning & development

Job summary

REGENT is developing Seagliders—wing-in-ground-effect craft enabling fast and cost-efficient coastal transport. As a Mechanical Design Engineer, you will own mechanical systems from concept through production, shaping architectures and guiding designs toward production readiness.

You will collaborate with electrical, software, and program teams, applying hand calculations, FEA, and practical manufacturing knowledge to deliver reliable, manufacturable components across Squire, Paladin, and

Qualifications

• Demonstrated mechanical design experience across a variety of system types.
• Strong command of machine elements and mechanisms.
• Familiarity with drive and power transmission — motors, gear trains, belts.
• Advanced CAD proficiency designing complex components and large assemblies.
• Solid foundation in hand calcs and FEA for design justification.
• Practical manufacturing knowledge across machining, sheet metal, composites, welding, castings, additive.
• Bonus: structural analysis depth with FEMAP/ANSYS.
• Bonus: eVTOL or flight-hardware background across multiple disciplines.

Responsibilities

• Design mechanical hardware across a range of systems from concept to production-intent CAD.
• Justify designs with hand calculations and structural, thermal, or fluid analyses.
• Build and test prototypes in the lab and improve test rigs.
• Re-envision and mature existing designs to improve reliability and manufacturability.
• Partner with electrical, software, and controls teams to solve integration challenges.
• Own projects end-to-end from kickoff to completion.
• Advance core REGENT technologies like hydrofoil retraction and control surface actuation toward production.

Skills

Mechanical design

CAD proficiency

FEA analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem solving

Tools

NX

FEMAP

ANSYS

Job description

At REGENT, we’re on a mission to revolutionize regional transportation between coastal cities. We're not just building vehicles, we're creating a new category of transportation: the Seaglider. These groundbreaking wing-in-ground-effect craft travel just above the water’s surface, combining the speed of an airplane with the low operating costs of a boat. Capable of 180 miles at 180 mph on today's battery tech (and up to 400 miles with next-gen batteries), Seagliders will unlock fast, affordable, and sustainable coastal transit for passengers and cargo - connecting cities, islands, and communities like never before.

Backed by leading investors and powered by a team of passionate, forward-thinking engineers, builders, and operators, we’re now scaling from a breakthrough prototype to full production - and building the team to make it happen.

Role Overview

As a Mechanical Design Engineer at REGENT, you'll design, refine, and mature the mechanical systems that make our Seagliders work — spanning structures, mechanisms, actuation, fluid handling, and vehicle-level integration. This is a hands-on design role on our Hardware Engineering team, and it exists because we're scaling from a prototype environment toward full-rate production and need dedicated design capacity to improve, troubleshoot, and harden the wide variety of mechanical systems across our platforms.

You'll own mechanical design work across Squire, Paladin, and Viceroy — taking subsystems and mechanisms from concept through CAD, analysis, prototype, and test. You'll size fasteners and joints, run the hand calculations and analyses that justify a design, build and test prototypes in the lab, and work shoulder-to-shoulder with our electrical, software, and program management teams to close integration challenges. Over time, you'll become a technical focal point for one or more areas of ownership.

Success in this role looks like becoming a trusted, go-to contributor: independently progressing designs, identifying real issues rather than just executing tasks, and helping mature key REGENT technologies like hydrofoil retraction and control surface actuation toward production. Within a year, you'll be shaping mechanical system architectures and making sound engineering decisions with limited oversight.

What You'll Do

• Design mechanical hardware across a range of systems — structures, mechanisms, actuation, thermal, fluid, and electromechanical — from concept through production-intent CAD and documentation.

• Justify your designs with analysis — hand calculations plus structural (FEA), kinematic (range of motion, power, torque), thermal, or fluid analysis as the system demands, including fastener sizing and tolerance stack-ups.

• Build and test prototypes in the lab — validate concepts hands-on with limited supervision, and design or improve the test rigs, benches, and fixtures that let the team iterate quickly on real data.

• Re-envision and mature existing designs — improve mechanical systems already deployed on REGENT products, strengthening reliability, weight, and manufacturability for production.

• Partner across disciplines — interface directly with electrical, software, and controls teams to solve integration challenges, and work with program management to keep projects on schedule.

• Own projects end-to-end — serve as the responsible engineer for assigned design investigations from kickoff to completion, progressing multiple concepts in parallel while tracking their trade-offs.

• Advance key REGENT technologies — contribute to core systems like hydrofoil retraction and control surface actuation, helping move them from prototype toward full-rate production.

What You’ll Bring

• Demonstrated mechanical design experience across a variety of system types — structures, mechanisms, actuation, thermal, fluid, or electromechanical.

• Strong command of machine elements and mechanisms — bearings, locks, latches, hinges, linkages, seals, pulleys, sliders — ideally having designed systems using several of them.

• Familiarity with drive and power transmission — motors, gearboxes, gear trains, belt and chain drives, and hydraulics — plus experience selecting fastening and joining schemes and sizing joints.

• Advanced CAD proficiency designing complex components and large assemblies (NX preferred, not required), with clean, well-organized models others can build on.

• A solid analysis foundation — comfortable using hand calcs and FEA to justify design choices, with sound judgment about which analysis a system actually needs.

• Practical manufacturing knowledge — machining, sheet metal, composites, welding, castings, and additive — and how each shapes design decisions, alongside materials selection and the failure modes (fatigue, corrosion, wear, buckling) that drive it.

• Bonus: structural analysis depth — experience with FEMAP or ANSYS.

• Bonus: eVTOL or flight-hardware background — designing flight-worthy, human-carrying assets, and breadth across multiple mechanical disciplines rather than depth in a single specialty.

Who We're Looking For

• Collaborative Team Player: You believe that great things happen when teams work together. You communicate effectively and collaborate with engineers, stakeholders, and other cross-functional teams to align on goals and move projects forward. You bring people together, ensuring that everyone is on the same page and moving towards a shared vision.

• Creative Problem Solver: You thrive on tackling complex challenges and finding innovative solutions. You don't just patch issues - you improve processes, anticipate downstream impacts, and help turn one-off fixes into scalable solutions that raise the bar for future builds.

• Adaptable & Agile: In a fast-paced, ever-evolving startup environment, you quick ely adapt to changing priorities and requirements. You approach challenges with a calm, resilient mindset, and know how to pivot and adjust your approach as needed, ensuring that progress continues without missing a beat.

• Innovative Mindset: You’re driven by curiosity and a passion for technology. You’re passionate about driving continuous improvement, embracing new technologies and methodologies to enhance efficiency, quality, and team performance.

What We Offer

• Competitive compensation including a robust equity incentive plan.

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance - we cover 100% of your premiums.

• 401(k) with company matching, so you can plan for the future.

• Generous flexible time off, paid parental leave, and company-wide holiday breaks.

• Relocation packages available for those moving to join our team.

• Daily, free catered lunches

• Learning & professional development opportunities

Equal Opportunity Employer

REGENT is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive work environment. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law.