Mechanical Design Engineer

Hernshead Recruitment; Washington, Tacoma (District of Columbia, WA, MD); On-site; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Hernshead Recruitment is seeking a hands-on Mechanical Design Engineer for a fast-moving hardware team developing unmanned aerial and lighter-than-air systems. This on-site role with an in-house lab emphasizes rapid iteration, moving designs from concept to testable prototypes weekly.

You will collaborate with electrical, flight systems, and manufacturing teams, perform FEA and thermal analyses, and design for injection-molded parts. Citizenship and eligibility for U.S.

Qualifications

• Strong, fast proficiency with SolidWorks for rapid design iterations.
• Experience with finite element analysis and thermal modeling.
• Practical experience designing for manufacturing, including injection molding.
• Comfortable across the full development cycle from concept to production-ready design.

Responsibilities

• Design mechanical components and assemblies in CAD, moving quickly from concept through proof of concept to prototype
• Run finite element analysis (FEA) and heat transfer modeling to validate designs
• Apply design-for-manufacturing (DFM) principles, including injection molding considerations, so designs transfer cleanly to production
• Collaborate with electrical, flight systems, and production teams to integrate mechanical components into complete systems
• Support hands‑on prototyping, fabrication, and field testing of new hardware
• Iterate rapidly on designs in response to test results and production feedback

Skills

SolidWorks

FEA analysis

Thermal modeling

Injection molding

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

Onshape

Job description

This role sits within a fast-moving hardware engineering team building unmanned aerial and lighter-than-air systems, working on parts that move from proof of concept to flight-ready prototype in days rather than months. The team supports a rapid iteration cycle, aiming to release new hardware revisions on a weekly cadence, so the engineer will work closely with electrical, flight systems, and manufacturing counterparts to get designs from concept to a testable article quickly. This is an on-site, hands‑on role based in a facility with an in‑house lab and outdoor test area, working alongside a small but growing mechanical design team.

Job Responsibilities:

• Design mechanical components and assemblies in CAD, moving quickly from concept through proof of concept to prototype
• Run finite element analysis (FEA) and heat transfer modeling to validate designs
• Apply design-for-manufacturing (DFM) principles, including injection molding considerations, so designs transfer cleanly to production
• Collaborate with electrical, flight systems, and production teams to integrate mechanical components into complete systems
• Support hands‑on prototyping, fabrication, and field testing of new hardware
• Iterate rapidly on designs in response to test results and production feedback

Experience Required:

• Strong, fast proficiency in SolidWorks; familiarity with Onshape is a plus
• Demonstrated experience with FEA and heat transfer/thermal modeling
• Practical experience designing for manufacturing, including injection-molded parts
• Comfortable working across the full development cycle, from early concept through to production-ready design
• Experience in a fast-paced hardware environment (aerospace, defense, robotics, or similar) preferred
• Willingness to work fully on-site given the pace of iteration and lab-based testing requirements
• IMPORTANT: This position requires U.S. citizenship and eligibility to obtain a U.S. security clearance. Please only apply if you meet these requirements.