Mechanical Engineer - Aerospace Automation

Approach Venture LLC; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) with company match

Three weeks PTO + company-wide week

Job summary

Approach Venture LLC in Shoreline, WA is seeking a Mechanical Engineer for aerospace automation. This hands-on role blends CAD design with field-backed robot cell integration to advance new aerospace manufacturing equipment.

You will break down requirements, create robust end effectors and fixtures, run engineering math, produce GD&T drawings, and partner with machine shops to deliver production-ready hardware. Travel up to 25% may be required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering required.
• 4+ years of professional mechanical design experience on automation, robotics, or production equipment.
• Hands-on experience designing hardware that works with industrial robots or automated machinery.
• Expert-level SolidWorks skills with detailed part and assembly drawings.
• Solid working knowledge of GD&T, DFM, and metal fabrication and machining processes.
• Strong grasp of machine design fundamentals: mechanics, materials, elements, and failure modes.
• Comfortable on the shop floor building, testing, and troubleshooting designs.
• Clear communicator who can work independently and meet tight timelines.
• Willing to travel up to 25%, including onboarding and trips to headquarters.
• U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident required.

Responsibilities

• Break down customer requirements and SOWs into design objectives and criteria.
• Design end effectors, multi-axis mechanisms, tooling, and fixtures for robot arms and cells.
• Support robot cell layout and integration with controls engineers on actuators, sensors, and wiring.
• Perform engineering math: free-body diagrams, load and fatigue checks, sizing, trade studies.
• Build 3D models and release production drawings with GD&T.
• Design machined and fabricated metal parts with manufacturability in mind.
• Collaborate with machine shops, vendors, and in-house technicians to build and debug hardware.
• Write work orders, assembly instructions, BOMs, and maintenance docs.
• Present designs at reviews and contribute to proposals; support deployed systems.

Skills

Mechanical design

Shop floor testing

Communication

Travel readiness

US citizenship or PR

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

GD&T

DFM

Machining knowledge

CATIA

PDM systems

Job description

Mechanical Engineer - Aerospace Automation | Help Launch a New Robotics Design CenterShoreline, Washington | On-site

Opportunity Summary

We are opening a new engineering design center north of Seattle and are looking for one of its first mechanical engineers. This is a hands-on role for someone who is equally comfortable designing hardware in CAD and getting a robot cell running on the floor. You will take on hard electromechanical problems for automated systems that drill, probe, fasten, and finish aircraft structures, carrying each design from requirements through analysis, drawings, build, and deployment.

The local team is starting small and will grow as programs ramp, so the first hires will shape how the site works and have a clear path to technical leadership. A new internal program is kicking off now, and this engineer will join early enough to influence the architecture rather than inherit it.

About Us

We are an established, profitable robotics company that designs, builds, and fields automated systems for aerospace manufacturing and sustainment. Our equipment is in daily use on factory floors and flight lines, supporting defense customers, prime contractors, and repair depots. Engineering, controls, manufacturing, and field teams work closely together, and engineers see their designs go from the screen into production hardware quickly.

Job Duties

• Break down customer requirements and statements of work into clear design objectives, constraints, and success criteria
• Design end effectors, multi-axis mechanisms, tooling, and fixtures that integrate with industrial robot arms and automated cells
• Support robot cell layout and integration, working with controls engineers on actuators, sensors, motion hardware, and wiring interfaces
• Run the engineering math behind each decision: free-body diagrams, load and fatigue checks, bearing and actuator sizing, and trade studies
• Build detailed 3D models and release production-ready part and assembly drawings with GD&T
• Design machined and fabricated metal parts with manufacturability, cost, and serviceability in mind
• Partner with machine shops, vendors, and in-house technicians to buy, build, assemble, and debug new hardware
• Write work orders, assembly instructions, BOMs, and maintenance documentation for technicians and customers
• Present designs at reviews and contribute technical content and sketches for new proposals
• Support deployed systems in the field and feed lessons learned back into the next design revision

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related field
• 4+ years of professional mechanical design experience on automation, robotics, or production equipment
• Hands-on experience designing hardware that works alongside industrial robots or automated machinery
• Expert-level SolidWorks skills, including detailed part and assembly drawings
• Solid working knowledge of GD&T, DFM, and metal fabrication and machining processes
• Strong grasp of machine design fundamentals: mechanics, materials, mechanical elements, and failure modes
• Comfortable on the shop floor building, testing, and troubleshooting your own designs
• Clear communicator who can work independently and stay effective on tight timelines
• Willing to travel up to 25%, including initial onboarding and periodic trips to headquarters
• U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident

Preferred Experience

• Integration of 6-axis or SCARA robot arms (ABB, FANUC, KUKA, Yaskawa, Epson, or similar) into production cells
• Design of drilling, probing, fastening, sealing, or other end-of-arm tooling for precision manufacturing
• Linear rails, ball screws, servo and pneumatic actuators, and closed-loop position sensing
• Working familiarity with PLCs, HMIs, machine vision, or electrical panel design
• Aerospace manufacturing, MRO, or defense production environments
• Weld fixtures, assembly jigs and inspection or test equipment
• FEA, CATIA, PDM systems and BOM management
• Experience mentoring other engineers or leading small project teams

Why Join Us

• Be a founding engineer at a new design center, with a real path to lead the local team as it grows
• Small team and short decision chains, so you spend your time designing and building, not navigating bureaucracy
• The stability of a profitable company with a fielded product line, paired with the ownership of a startup team
• Your work ends up on real aircraft production lines and flight lines, not in a slide deck
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Three weeks of PTO plus a company-wide week off between Christmas and New Year's

Compensation Details

$120,000 - $150,000