Mechanical Engineer

NDI Engineering; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

NDI Engineering seeks a Mechanical Engineer to support NSWCPD in the acquisition lifecycle for naval machinery systems. You will review and develop ship specifications, oversee contract deliverables, and coordinate across mechanical, electrical, and propulsion subsystems alongside a Ship Design Manager.

Open to early-career to journeyman engineers (3–7+ years) with strong fundamentals in fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, and rotating machinery. Must be a U.S.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Marine Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a closely related discipline from an ABET-accredited institution.

Responsibilities

• Support the Ship Design Manager across the acquisition lifecycle for ship machinery systems, focusing on contract deliverables and risk assessment.
• Review production deliverables, draft contract specification redlines, and coordinate feedback across SMEs.
• Develop, review, and update ship specifications and program requirements in direct support of the Ship Design Manager.
• Review Ship Building / SSC production deliverables within an IDE; formulate technical responses and manage comment workflows.
• Prepare production contract requirement redlines and technical rationales for contract modifications.
• Coordinate machinery design team efforts across mechanical and electrical subsystems (gas turbines, transmissions, lift fans, propellers, distribution).
• Work as SME liaison between shipyard, system engineering managers, and machinery team; communicate findings to leadership.
• Witness tests on-site or at vendor/shipyard; document progress and operational concerns.
• Identify technical risks and perform reliability data analysis to pinpoint data flaws or underperforming systems.

Skills

Fluid dynamics

Thermodynamics

Rotating machinery

Engineering drawings interpretation

Technical writing

Verbal communication

MS Office

IDE

Technical databases

Education

ABET-accredited BSc in Mechanical/Marine/Systems Engineering

Tools

MS Office

IDE

Technical databases

Job description

NDI Engineering is seeking a Mechanical Engineer—ranging from recent graduates to journeyman-level professionals to provide critical systems engineering and machinery support for a major naval acquisition program. In this role, you will work in direct support of the Ship Design Manager at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division (NSWCPD), playing a key part in the review, development, and integration of ship specifications and production deliverables.

This position bridges technical engineering analysis, cross-disciplinary coordination, and direct program support to ensure ship systems meet stringent performance, safety, and operational standards

This is an in-person position located in the Philadelphia area, supporting programs at NSWCPD and interfacing with shipyard facilities.

Role and Responsibilities:

The Mechanical Engineer will support the Ship Design Manager across the acquisition lifecycle for specialized craft and ship platforms, focusing heavily on ship machinery systems, contract deliverables, and risk assessment.

• Core Focus: Delivering mechanical and systems engineering support, reviewing production deliverables, and managing machinery design team efforts across critical mechanical and propulsion systems.
• Scope: Perform technical reviews of construction and equipment drawings, draft contract specification redlines, coordinate technical feedback across subject matter experts, evaluate reliability data, and observe testing events.
• Systems Engineering Support: Develop, review, and update ship specifications, program and technical requirements, and associated technical artifacts in direct support of the Ship Design Manager.
• Contract Deliverable Reviews: Review Ship Building / Ship Super Craft (SSC) production contract deliverables within an Integrated Data Environment (IDE), formulate technical responses, and coordinate comment workflows. Deliverables include construction drawings, equipment drawings, design reports, obsolescence reports, and Requests for Waiver or Deviation (RWDs).
• Contract Modifications: Prepare production contract requirement redlines and technical rationales to support formal contract modifications.
• Machinery Team Coordination: Coordinate machinery design team efforts across core mechanical and electrical subsystems, including gas turbines, transmissions, lift fans, propellers, and electrical distribution systems.
• Cross-Functional Communication: Serve as a technical liaison between the shipyard, system engineering managers, and machinery design team members. Communicate Subject Matter Expert (SME) findings, concerns, and recommendations to design team and program leadership.
• Testing & Field Observation: Witness test events on-site or at vendor/shipyard locations; document progress, technical observations, and operational concerns.
• Risk & Reliability Analysis: Identify technical risks, prepare comprehensive risk assessments, and analyze reliability data to pinpoint data flaws or underperforming systems and components.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Marine Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a closely related engineering discipline from an ABET-accredited institution.
• Open to entry-level candidates (recent engineering graduates) up to journeyman-level engineers (3–7+ years of relevant experience).
• Strong foundation in mechanical engineering principles, fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, and rotating machinery (gas turbines, gearboxes/transmissions, propulsion).
• Ability to read, interpret, and evaluate engineering drawings, schematics, technical specifications, and design reports.
• Ability to review reliability data, identify trends, and conduct root-cause/risk analysis on underperforming components.
• Excellent technical writing and verbal communication skills; proficiency with standard engineering tools and data environments (IDE, MS Office, technical databases).
• Must be a U.S. Citizen with the ability to obtain and maintain an active DoD Secret Clearance.

NDI Engineering Company is a privately held small business consulting firm providing high-quality engineering and technical services to Government clients chartered with responsibility for the defense of our country. NDI offerings include naval architecture, marine, civil, structural, mechanical, and electrical engineering and design services. NDI operates an ISO 9001:2015 Certified Quality System and is a prior recipient of the U.S. Small Business Administration Region II Prime Contractor of the Year Award. NDI’s corporate office is located in Thorofare, NJ, with additional offices at the Naval Business Center in Philadelphia, PA, and Virginia Beach, VA.

NDI Engineering Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. NDI abides by the requirements of 41 CFR §§ 60-1.4(a), 60-300.5(a), and 60-741.5(a). These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities, and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin. Moreover, NDI takes affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.