Mechanical Design Engineer 3

ULA • Denver, CO

17h

About The Position

United Launch Alliance is hiring a Mechanical Design Engineer 3 for its AS&D Vulcan Development team to support development of the Centaur V on the SLS upper stage. The role contributes to mechanical and structural design, vehicle integration, program execution, and development and qualification activities. The engineer works with multidisciplinary teams and interfaces with manufacturing, quality, and technicians to support hardware build, integration, and testing.

The position includes preparing design options and technical summaries for trade evaluations; creating CAD models, drawings, and GD&T; developing engineering content for program reviews; and supporting requirements development, test campaigns, hardware troubleshooting, and root-cause investigations. The engineer also contributes to efficient engineering workflows and continuous improvement in design, documentation, and producibility.

The role is based at ULA in Denver. Relocation may be available, and travel requirements are 10%. The position requires access to ITAR-controlled information; applicants must be U.S. Persons as defined by ITAR.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum of 4 years of related work experience.
• Familiarity with structural and mechanical system design and development, and participation in qualification activities.
• Ability to execute assigned engineering tasks with growing independence and effective time management.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings, specifications, and applicable industry or government standards.
• Significant experience performing CAD modeling and drawing creation.
• Strong communication and presentation skills.
• Experience integrating with multidisciplinary teams and demonstrated technical coordination skills.
• Strong understanding of design for producibility of machined and formed parts.
• Proven capability in executing engineering drawing package release.
• Strong GD&T interpretation and application skills.
• Foundational understanding of aerospace hardware and system-level integration and test processes.
• Understanding of aerospace hardware production and manufacturing operations.
• Must be a U.S. Person as defined by ITAR because the position requires use of ITAR-controlled information.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in aerospace or mechanical engineering.
• Understanding of stress analysis methodologies and tools.
• NX and Teamcenter utilization in a model-based enterprise (MBE) environment.
• Technical understanding of composite structural design and tooling solutions.
• Experience performing subsystem and vehicle walkdown inspections.
• Utilization of agile processes in a development program environment.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to design and architectural trade evaluations by generating options, assessing impacts, and preparing technical summaries for review.
• Design and develop mechanical and structural components for the Centaur V upper stage in alignment with vehicle-level and subsystem requirements.
• Support program planning and execution by maintaining assigned-task status, identifying risks, and providing technical inputs.
• Prepare engineering content for major program reviews, including models, drawings, analysis summaries, and verification documentation.
• Support requirement development and participate in fishbone analyses to clarify design intent, inform verification plans, and strengthen root-cause evaluation frameworks.
• Participate in development and qualification test campaigns, including test planning, instrumentation support, data review, and post-test documentation.
• Create and update CAD models, detailed drawings, and GD&T for mechanical hardware throughout the design lifecycle.
• Perform first-order assessments of mechanical designs to support integration with analysis teams and improve engineering workflow efficiency.
• Assist with hardware troubleshooting, non-conformance dispositions, and root-cause investigations.
• Interface with manufacturing, quality, and technicians to support hardware build, integration, and test activities.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary engineering teams to integrate mechanical designs within the broader upper-stage architecture.
• Contribute to continuous improvement in design, documentation, and producibility.

Benefits

• 401(k) match plus an additional employer contribution.
• Discretionary annual incentive bonus for eligible employees.
• Generous paid time off.
• Flexible work environments.
• Most salaried ULA team members work a 9/80 schedule, with every other Friday off; schedules may vary.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level