Mechanical Design Engineer – Test Systems

Associates Systems LLC; Tucson (AZ); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Associates Systems LLC in Tucson, AZ is looking for a Mechanical Design Engineer focused on designing and developing mechanical test systems for aerospace and defense. The role requires a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, 2+ years of relevant experience, and familiarity with 3D CAD tools, preferably Creo. Candidates must have U.S. Citizenship and be able to obtain a Secret clearance. This onsite position involves creating 3D CAD models, integrating hardware, and supporting test systems.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of mechanical design, product design, or engineering support experience.
• Experience creating mechanical drawings, assemblies, and drawing packages.
• Ability to support hardware design from concept through integration.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop mechanical test systems, fixtures, assemblies, and support hardware.
• Create and maintain 3D CAD models, 2D drawings, and mechanical drawing packages.
• Troubleshoot design, fit, function, reliability, and production-support issues.

Skills

3D CAD design

Mechanical design

GD&T

Tolerance analysis

Design documentation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related STEM field

Tools

Creo / ProE

Job description

Mechanical Design Engineer – Test Systems

Location: Tucson, AZ

Work Type: Onsite

Clearance: U.S. Citizenship required; Secret clearance required or obtainable

Role Summary

We are seeking a Mechanical Design Engineer to support the design and development of mechanical test systems, fixtures, assemblies, and hardware used in aerospace and defense environments.

This role focuses on 3D CAD design, drawing package development, mechanical packaging, environmental test support, and hardware integration for production and engineering test systems.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and develop mechanical test systems, fixtures, assemblies, and support hardware.
• Create and maintain 3D CAD models, 2D drawings, and mechanical drawing packages.
• Use Creo / ProE or similar CAD tools to support mechanical design and documentation.
• Apply GD&T, tolerance analysis, and mechanical design principles to support manufacturability and performance.
• Support test systems used in vibration, thermal, hydraulic, RF, electro-optical, and electro-mechanical environments.
• Integrate and validate mechanical test hardware against accuracy, reliability, and performance requirements.
• Troubleshoot design, fit, function, reliability, and production-support issues.
• Recommend design updates to improve performance, reliability, manufacturability, and maintainability.
• Work with electrical, systems, manufacturing, and test teams on hardware integration.
• Evaluate production installations and support modifications to resolve equipment or hardware issues.
• Support design reviews, documentation updates, configuration changes, and release activities.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related STEM field.
• 2+ years of mechanical design, product design, test equipment, or engineering support experience.
• Experience with 3D CAD tools; Creo / ProE preferred.
• Experience creating mechanical drawings, assemblies, and drawing packages.
• Knowledge of GD&T, tolerance analysis, and mechanical design fundamentals.
• Ability to support hardware design from concept through integration, validation, and production support.
• Familiarity with manufacturability, fit/function, and design documentation requirements.
• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Active Secret clearance.
• Experience with mechanical test equipment, fixtures, tooling, or production-support hardware.
• Experience with mechanical packaging, electronic packaging, chassis design, enclosures, or equipment layouts.
• Familiarity with configuration management tools such as Windchill, cPDM, or similar.
• Exposure to thermal, structural, vibration, shock, or environmental analysis.
• Experience supporting environmental test systems, including vibration, shock, thermal, RF, or electro-mechanical testing.
• Background in aerospace, defense, missile, avionics, or other high-reliability systems.
• Exposure to model-based design, model-based engineering, or systems engineering concepts.
• Experience working with manufacturing, production, test, or assembly teams.