Mechanical Design Engineer 3

ULA • Decatur, IL

7h • Onsite

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 position contributes to mechanical and structural design from early trade evaluations through hardware build, integration, testing, and qualification. The engineer works with multidisciplinary teams and coordinates with manufacturing, quality, technicians, and analysis teams.

The role includes creating and maintaining CAD models, detailed drawings, and GD&T; preparing technical content for program reviews; supporting requirements development, test campaigns, troubleshooting, and root-cause investigations; and contributing to planning, risk management, and continuous improvement. The position is based at ULA in Decatur, with relocation potentially available and travel requirements of 10%.

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, 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 creating drawings.
• 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.
• Applicants must be U.S. Persons 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 an 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 tracking assigned tasks, 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 in troubleshooting hardware issues, supporting non-conformance dispositions, and participating in 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.

What This Job Offers

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