Mechanical Design Engineer, Ground Systems

Mach Industries•Huntington Beach, CA

9h•$105,000 - $140,000

About The Position

Mach Industries is seeking a Ground Systems Mechanical Engineer to design, develop, and deploy ground systems that enable the safe, reliable, and efficient transportation, handling, storage, launch, and operation of next-generation defense platforms. The role involves designing and iterating ground support equipment (GSE), launch and deployment systems, electro-mechanical interfaces, and supporting infrastructure, while optimizing for manufacturability, reliability, safety, cost, and performance. The engineer works with multidisciplinary engineering, manufacturing, test, and operations teams to develop requirements and carry out design, analysis, and testing cycles that lead to prototype and flight hardware. The role owns engineering deliverables—including CAD models, drafting, and analytical and test verification—and contributes throughout the hardware development lifecycle. It is suited to an engineer who enjoys practical mechanical challenges, hands-on hardware work, and rapidly developing robust systems for real-world operations.

Requirements

At least 1 year of mechanical engineering experience designing, prototyping, and integrating mechanical systems; experience may be professional, hobby, or academic.
Strong 3D modeling skills with CAD tools such as NX or SolidWorks, including GD&T per ASME Y14.5.
Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
Demonstrated experience owning hands-on, end-to-end hardware development efforts, such as FSAE, DBF, Rocket Team, or similar projects.
Available to work extended hours and weekends as needed.
Must meet U.S. export-control eligibility requirements: be a U.S. citizen or national, lawful permanent resident, qualifying refugee, or qualifying asylee, or be eligible to obtain required U.S. Department of State authorizations.

Nice To Haves

Experience designing ground support equipment, launch equipment, transport fixtures, storage containers, lifting and handling devices, or other industrial or aerospace support systems.
Experience performing first-order structural calculations or using FEA tools to evaluate load-bearing components, frames, fixtures, and support structures.
Experience with manufacturing processes, fabrication drawings, tolerance stack-ups, welding, machining, sheet metal, or structural assemblies.
Experience with scripting or programming tools such as Python or MATLAB for engineering calculations, data analysis, and test support.

Responsibilities

Own mechanical design and development of ground systems, including ground support equipment (GSE), launch and deployment systems, transport fixtures, storage solutions, lifting and handling equipment, and supporting infrastructure.
Create and maintain 3D CAD models, engineering drawings, bills of materials, and technical documentation for fabrication, assembly, inspection, maintenance, and field deployment.
Perform first-order engineering calculations to size structures, mechanisms, lifting and restraint features, and other load-bearing components, accounting for static and dynamic loads, vibration, shock, environmental exposure, and applicable safety factors.
Collaborate with manufacturing, test, vehicle engineering, propulsion, avionics, and operations teams to define interfaces, translate operational needs into engineering requirements, and resolve integration challenges.
Support fabrication, assembly, installation, commissioning, and hands-on testing of ground systems, incorporating lessons learned from development campaigns and field operations.
Author engineering analyses, test plans, operating procedures, maintenance documentation, and technical milestones to support safe and repeatable ground operations.
Support critical development and test milestones, including occasional extended hours and weekends as needed.