Mechanical Design Engineer

Job Title:       Mechanical Design Engineer
Duration:            3+ years
Client:    Defense Research Lab
Location:        Lexington, MA 02421

Description:
Designs, and evaluates major components, or major portions of a functional system, or technically advanced prototype, promotional or specific products. Develop or improve products and collaborates in developing manufacturing operations and processes. Develops basic data and makes preliminary layouts, sketches, and notes necessary to present design proposal. Investigates pertinent design factors such as ease of manufacture, availability of materials and equipment, interchangeability, replace ability, strength-weight efficiency, and contractual specification requirements and cost. Coordinates with other organizations affected by design development. Makes layouts of assemblies and details parts of devices, mechanisms, structures, and products. Checks completed layouts and drawings for clarity, completeness, conformity to standards, procedures, specifications, and accuracy of calculations and dimensioning. Identifies design errors, omissions, and other deficiencies, and recommends revisions and/or improvements in design layout to responsible engineers or designers.

Background Need:
The Mechanical Engineering Group provides innovative design solutions for advanced technology prototypes. Example projects include laser communication, high energy lasers, optical sensors, biological agent detectors, and large radar antennas, for systems deployed on ground, maritime, air- and space-borne platforms. The group has expertise in precision engineering, opto-mechanics, mechanisms, electronics packaging, large structures, highly efficient lightweight structures, composite materials, and additive manufacturing. The group is the Engineering Division’s center for 3D CAD design and data management and is involved in every step of program execution from conceptual design to system integration and test.

The candidate will design and document mechanical components and assemblies in collaboration with engineering staff. He/she would be responsible for performing design calculations and initiating design concepts, layouts and finished manufacturing drawings specifying dimensional tolerances, surface finishes, and materials. There will be preparation of engineering release/revision documentation, as well as assisting in producing fabrication orders and supporting the fabrication and assembly process, as required.

Required Skills:
•    Experience in one or more of the following areas –mechanical/mechanisms, optical-mechanical, electronic packaging or structural.
•    Knowledge of mechanical fabrication and assembly techniques including conventional machining of metal. Additive manufacturing, not including molding, knowledge will also be considered.
•    Opto-mechanics, structures, or electronic packaging design. Knowledgeable of design for manufacturability using conventional machining. Knowledgeable of ASME, GD&T and MIL-Specs required.
•    Knowledge of ASME Y14 family of standards, and specific experience using ASME Y14.5 GD&T.
•    Minimum 4 years of experience designing with SolidWorks. Candidates without SolidWorks experience will not be considered.
•    Capable of developing own concepts, design layouts, and basic calculations to support their design.
•    Candidates must be enthusiastic, innovative, and motivated self-starters able to work independently, or with an interdisciplinary group, to achieve program requirements. They must possess strong oral and written communications skills and must be able to present findings/results to internal and external organizations.

Preferred Skills:
•    Familiarity with standards and established practices in; aircraft, missile, spacecraft, and ground support equipment.
•    Capable of developing own concepts, design layouts, and basic calculations to support their design.
•    Must have good communication skills, require little or no supervision, and possess good creative skills.

Skills that are not a match for this role:
•    Candidates having experience primarily with plastic and/or molding design will not be considered.
•    Candidates with only low-level design skills (simple bracket design, drafting etc.) will not be considered. Must show experience designing assemblies with some complexity.
•    The majority of a candidate’s experience should be designing machined components. Sheet metal experience will not be considered valuable.

Education:
Bachelor's Degree is preferred but not required; a minimum of 9 years of relevant experience

Others:
•    Clearance: - Interim clearance is acceptable upon start; secret clearance to remain on the project. It would be desired for someone to be open to upgrading to a TS level clearance at a later time.
•    Work Location:  Candidate will be expected to work onsite 100%.Travel is 10% or less and would be based on workload and program support. This travel could be international.
•    Interview process:  Initial zoom interview and then a second-round interview with a wider audience. It would be preferred for the second-round interview to be in person so any local candidate would do a second round onsite. They will do a zoom interview for relocating candidates.