Mechanical Test Engineer

Salient Motion•Hawthorne, CA

1d•$110,000 - $130,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Mechanical Test Engineer focuses on mechanical and environmental qualification of actuators and integrated LRUs, including vibration, shock, thermal, humidity, altitude, and life/durability testing. The role includes designing test fixtures and instrumentation, managing outsourced testing, and witnessing tests at customer and partner sites domestically and internationally. The engineer will also support development of an in-house qualification test lab as the company’s capabilities mature. The company develops modular motion technologies and motion control components for industrial, aerospace, and defense applications. The role is based at the company’s Hawthorne, California facility. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or U.S. permanent residents to meet customer and regulatory requirements.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
At least 2 years of qualification or environmental test experience on aerospace, defense, or comparable hardware.
Hands-on experience executing DO-160 and/or MIL-STD-810 mechanical and environmental test campaigns.
Proficiency with mechanical test instrumentation, including load cells, accelerometers, data acquisition systems, and data analysis.
Experience designing test fixtures and mechanical instrumentation setups.
Strong technical writing skills for test plans and reports.
U.S. Person status required per ITAR; applicants must be U.S. citizens or U.S. permanent residents.
Ability to travel internationally and hold a valid passport.

Nice To Haves

Experience with electromechanical actuators, motors, gear trains, or precision mechanisms.
Familiarity with thermal, vibration, and shock testing, including fixture design, modal considerations, and test tailoring.
Exposure to commercial or defense certification environments.
Experience managing third-party test laboratories and witnessing customer acceptance testing.

Responsibilities

Plan, write, and execute mechanical qualification and acceptance test procedures for actuators and integrated LRUs.
Develop test plans and reports to DO-160G and MIL-STD-810H, including vibration, shock, thermal, humidity, and altitude testing for qualification and unit acceptance.
Design and build mechanical test fixtures, load setups, instrumentation, and data acquisition configurations.
Plan and execute load, life, durability, and environmental testing to validate cycle reliability requirements.
Manage testing at outsourced laboratories and witness tests at customer and partner facilities domestically and internationally.
Coordinate test schedules, witness points, and acceptance criteria with customers and laboratories.
Analyze test data, identify mechanical failure modes, and drive root-cause and corrective actions with design engineering.
Support development of an in-house qualification test laboratory as capabilities mature.