Mechanical Engineer - Space Technologies

AeroVironment, Inc.; Albuquerque (NM); On-site; USD 91,000 - 138,750; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401K with company matching

9/80 work schedule

Paid holiday shutdown

Job summary

AeroVironment, Inc. in Albuquerque, NM is seeking a Mechanical/Aerospace Engineer to provide engineering design and analysis support for diverse R&D programs and small-volume production contracts.

You will lead structural and thermal analysis of mechanical systems for space and airborne hardware. The role requires a Bachelor's in mechanical or aerospace engineering, 5 years of experience, proficiency in FEA and CAD (SolidWorks), and the ability to obtain a US security clearance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering required.
• 5+ years of mechanical engineering experience in structural and thermal analysis, CAD design, and space hardware.
• Strong writing skills for engineering reports, specifications and requirements.

Responsibilities

• Provide engineering design and analysis support to diverse R&D programs and small-volume production contracts.
• Lead the structural and thermal analysis of mechanical systems for space and airborne hardware.
• Work within a multi-disciplined project team.
• Responsible for mechanical design and analysis activity, and support integration and formal acceptance-test activities.
• Projects vary from packaging high reliability electronics subsystems to opto-mechanical mechanisms such as gimbal and steering mirror systems.
• Other duties as assigned

Skills

Mechanical eng

Structural analysis

Thermal analysis

CAD: SolidWorks

GD&T

Security clearance

Technical writing

Education

Bachelor's in mechanical or aerospace engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

Job description

Position Responsibilities

• Provide engineering design and analysis support to diverse R&D programs and small-volume production contracts
• Lead the structural and thermal analysis of mechanical systems for space and airborne hardware
• Work within a multi-disciplined project team
• Responsible for mechanical design and analysis activity, and support integration and formal acceptance-test activities
• Projects vary from packaging high reliability electronics subsystems to opto-mechanical mechanism design such as gimbal and steering mirror systems
• Other duties as assigned

Basic Qualifications (Required Skills & Experience)

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering
• 5 years' mechanical engineering experience in one or more of the following areas: Structural and thermal analysis including analytical calculations and FEA (stress analysis, modal analysis, thermal conduction analysis, bolt loads, etc.) Design using CAD software, ideally experience with SolidWorks Tolerance analysis and GD&T practices Space hardware design, analysis, integration, and test
• Strong technical writing skills applicable to engineering documentation (analysis reports, specifications, requirements documents, etc.).
• Ability to obtain and maintain a US security clearance
• All other duties as assigned

Other Qualifications & Desired Competencies

• 5+ years' experience in mechanical engineering of space systems
• Strong verbal communication skills needed for customer interaction at design reviews, supplier interaction, etc.
• Ability to quickly adapt to various projects and types of work and to work several projects simultaneously while managing time and priorities
• Ability to work independently or as part of a development team
• Experience and willingness to be hands on during hardware assembly, integration, and test
• Current US security clearance

Physical Demands

• Ability to work in an office and manufacturing environment (Constant)
• Required to sit and stand for long periods; talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer and telephone keyboard (Frequent)

Clearance Level No Clearance

The salary range for this role is: $91,000 - $138,750

Benefits: AV offers an excellent benefits package including medical, dental vision, 401K with company matching, a 9/80 work schedule and a paid holiday shutdown.

For more information about our company benefit offerings please visit: http://www.avinc.com/myavbenefits.

We also encourage you to review our company website at http://www.avinc.com to learn more about us.

About AV

AV isn’t for everyone. We hire the curious, the relentless, the mission-obsessed. The best of the best. We don’t just build defense technology—redefine what’s possible. As the premier autonomous systems company in the U.S., AV delivers breakthrough capabilities across air, land, sea, space, and cyber. From AI-powered drones and loitering munitions to integrated autonomy and space resilience, our technologies shape the future of warfare and protect those who serve. Founded by legendary innovator Dr. Paul MacCready, AV has spent over 50 years pushing the boundaries of what unmanned systems can do. Our heritage includes seven platforms in the Smithsonian—but we’re not building history, we’re building what’s next. If you're ready to build technology that matters—with speed, scale, and purpose—there’s no better place to do it than AV.

We are proud to be an EEO/AA Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/veterans.

AeroVironment, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and welcomes all qualified applicants.

Qualified applicants will receive fair and impartial consideration without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic data, sexual orientation, gender identity or other legally protected status.

ITAR U.S. Citizenship required.

Must be willing to work on government contracts and have the ability to obtain a security clearance.

ITAR Requirement: This position requires access to information that is subject to compliance with the International Traffic Arms Regulations (“ITAR”) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”). In order to comply with the requirements of the ITAR and/or the EAR, applicants must qualify as a U.S. person under the ITAR and the EAR, or a person to be approved for an export license by the governing agency whose technology comes under its jurisdiction. Please understand that any job offer that requires approval of an export license will be conditional on AeroVironment’s determination that it will be able to obtain an export license in a time frame consistent with AeroVironment’s business requirements. A “U.S. person” according to the ITAR definition is a U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder), or protected individual such as a refugee or asylee. See 22 CFR § 120.15. Some positions will require current U.S. Citizenship due to contract requirements.