Mechanical Design Engineer

Jobot; Santa Ana (CA); On-site; USD 125,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401(k) match

Generous PTO and holidays

Job summary

Jobot is seeking a Mechanical Design Engineer to design production tooling, fixtures, and processing aids for aerospace manufacturing in Santa Ana, CA. The role covers tooling design across machining, assembly, test and inspection, with heavy emphasis on 3D CAD and GD&T.

You will lead tooling validation, support test equipment development, and drive root cause investigations while ensuring design integrity and documentation are maintained.

Qualifications

• Strong 3D CAD skills (SolidWorks, CATIA, or NX).
• Familiar with GD&T per ASME Y14.5 and MBD workflows.
• Excellent cross-functional communication with manufacturing, quality, and production.

Responsibilities

• Design tooling, fixtures, and processing aids for aerospace manufacturing.
• Create detailed tooling designs using 3D CAD, GD&T, and tolerance analysis.
• Validate tooling and design intent through engineering analysis and shop floor reviews.
• Support design/modification of test equipment including hydraulic and pneumatic systems.
• Lead root cause investigations using 8D, RCCA, DMAIC and manage configuration control.

Skills

3D CAD

GD&T

Cross-functional communication

Tools

SolidWorks

CATIA

NX

Job description

Mechanical Design Engineer — Production Tooling, Fixtures & NPI Support — $125k to $165k Base + Bonus — Santa Ana, CA / Onsite — Nationally Recognized Aerospace, Space & Defense Company

Salary: $120,000 - $160,000 per year

Our client is a vertically integrated design, engineering, and manufacturing partner to leading and next-generation space and defense technology companies. Our work spans three core markets — space and launch systems, defense aviation and airborne systems, and C5ISR and precision strike — and we build hardware that has to survive extreme operating environments. Across a nationwide footprint of advanced manufacturing facilities, we support rapid prototyping, new product development, large-scale production, and aftermarket sustainment for enduring platforms.

Why join us?

• Base salary $125k–$160k+
• Medical, dental, vision, matching 401(k)
• Generous PTO, sick leave, and paid holidays
• Full-lifecycle ownership: you define the tooling, validate it, and fix it when production finds the edge cases
• Decades of manufacturing heritage with a balanced mix of next-gen development programs and long-running production work
• Clear technical growth path — mechanical design into broader manufacturing engineering leadership

Job Details

You’ll design the production tooling, fixtures, and processing aids that support aerospace manufacturing across multiple product families — machining, assembly, test, and inspection — working from concepts, sketches, models, or verbal input from engineering, manufacturing, quality, and production.

• Create detailed tooling, fixture, and processing aid designs using 3D CAD, GD&T, and tolerance analysis
• Generate derivative and secondary models, reference geometry, and tooling datasets for NC programming, inspection, assembly, and test
• Validate tooling and design intent through engineering analysis, producibility reviews, and shop floor application
• Support design and modification of test equipment, including hydraulic and pneumatic systems
• Lead root cause investigations and corrective actions using structured methods (8D, RCCA, DMAIC), and own configuration management, revision control, and technical accuracy of models and drawings

Looking for:

• Strong 3D CAD skills — SolidWorks, CATIA, or NX; multi-body design, surfacing, large assemblies, and detailed drawings
• Working knowledge of GD&T per ASME Y14.5; familiarity with model-based definition (MBD) workflows
• Strong communicator who works well cross-functionally with manufacturing, quality, and production

Experience in any of the following areas welcomed:

• Machine shop / CNC manufacturing environments
• Composites manufacturing
• Hydraulic and pneumatic test equipment
• Assembly, test, machining, and inspection tooling
• Lean design, ergonomics, and cost-out / cycle-time reduction projects
• NPI and new product development support

Jobot is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We provide an inclusive work environment that celebrates diversity and all qualified candidates receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, age (40 and over), disability, military status, genetic information or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. Jobot also prohibits harassment of applicants or employees based on any of these protected categories. It is Jobot’s policy to comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws respecting consideration of unemployment status in making hiring decisions.