Aerospace Mechanical Systems Engineer

Job Title: Aerospace Mechanical Systems Engineer

Location: Irvine CA. 92618

Job Duties:

Hardware & System Design Skills

Environmental Control Systems (ECS): Designing aircraft air cycle, vapor cycle, bleed air, or cabin pressure architectures.

Component Sizing & Selection: Calculating specifications for valves, regulators, heat exchangers, actuators, compressors, and fans.

Fluid & Gas Dynamics: Modeling pneumatic flow rates, routing ducting networks, and analyzing system pressure drops.

Electro-Mechanical Integration: Interfacing mechanical hardware with basic electrical circuits, wiring harnesses, and feedback sensors.

Analysis & Simulation Skills 

Thermodynamics & Heat Transfer: Performing manual thermal math or complex 3D heat-load calculations.

Control Theory & Logic: Developing feedback control loops to actively regulate temperature, pressure, or airflow.

Thermal Analysis Software: Utilizing specialized simulation tools like Thermal Desktop, Ansys Fluent, Flowmaster, or Simscape.

CAD Modeling & Drafting: Generating production-ready 3D models and technical drawings using NX, CATIA, or SolidWorks.

Testing & Compliance Skills

Hardware Troubleshooting: Resolving mechanical failures during the physical assembly, functional testing, or component repair phases.

Aerospace & Defense Standards: Aligning qualification test procedures with rigorous compliance benchmarks like MIL-STD-810 and DO-160.

Test Plan Execution: Drafting test documentation, building test setups, and analyzing environmental test data.

Core Skill Set to Look For

ECS Subsystem Integration: Hands-on experience with aircraft or spacecraft bleed air, cabin pressurization, oxygen generation, or severe-environment ducting and layout.

Thermal System Design & Analysis: Experience sizing heat exchangers, vapor cycle systems, cooling loops, or air cycle machines using software like Thermal Desktop, ANSYS Fluent, Flow master, or MATLAB/Simulink.

Component Selection & Validation: Proven track record calculating fluid flow, pressure drop, and thermal loads to select or design valves, regulators, fans, or compressors.

Industry Standards & Testing: Direct familiarity with aerospace/defense testing compliance, specifically DO-160, MIL-STD-810, or ARP862 for environmental control equipment.

Cross-Functional & Control Logic: A strong understanding of structural interfaces, sensor integration, and basic control theory (e.g., feedback loops) to regulate temperatures and pressures.

Technical Presentation & Leadership: Experience acting as a secondary project owner, leading small groups of drafters/designers, and presenting design reviews (PDR/CDR) to internal teams or customers.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

Bachelor’s degree (B.S.M.E) from four-year College or University.

Two to five years of experience with design, analysis and development of industrial equipment.

Aerospace domain experience is a must.

Knowledge of applied thermodynamics and mechanical design.

Knowledge of drawing and drafting standards a plus.

Capable of carrying out assignments concerned with mechanical equipment.

Understanding of military specifications, environmental specifications, and test specifications desired.

Hands-on test and hardware experience is required.

Skills: Aerospace Domain

Experience Required: 6-8