Senior Mechanical Engineer - Fort Worth, TX
About The Position
Davidson’s Warfighter Integration (WFI) team is building a new Mechanical Engineering capability and seeks an experienced Senior Mechanical Engineer to help design, integrate, and field next-generation defense solutions. The position is contingent upon funding and is based in Fort Worth, Texas. The role offers the opportunity to establish mechanical engineering processes while addressing integration challenges across Command & Control, sensor systems, embedded electronics, autonomy, AI, and emerging defense technologies. Working with systems, software, electrical, and manufacturing engineers, the Senior Mechanical Engineer will transform concepts into deployable hardware. The position develops mechanical designs and engineering drawings, evaluates interface requirements, and supports integration with aircraft, ground vehicles, and tactical platforms. Projects span a varied portfolio of technologies and engineering challenges. The engineer designs mechanical solutions and integration hardware; creates and maintains 3D CAD models, assemblies, drawings, fabrication packages, and technical data packages; develops mechanical interface documentation; and supports platform integration, environmental qualification, prototype fabrication, installation, verification testing, design reviews, and transition into production. Designs must balance SWaP-C, structural integrity, manufacturability, maintainability, and mission performance.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or a related engineering discipline.
- At least 8 years of mechanical engineering experience supporting complex DoW or aerospace systems.
- Experience creating 3D CAD models and engineering drawings.
- Experience developing fabrication drawings and technical data packages.
- Experience evaluating and developing Mechanical ICDs.
- Experience designing equipment mounting solutions, structural brackets, electronics enclosures, cable management systems, harness routing, cooling solutions, and mechanical assemblies.
- Experience performing packaging, weight, and space-claim analyses.
- Strong understanding of manufacturing processes and Design for Manufacturability (DFM).
- Experience supporting prototype builds and hardware integration.
- Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance; the posting also specifies Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility.
Nice To Haves
- Experience supporting aircraft integration programs.
- Familiarity with MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-461, MIL-STD-1472, and environmental qualification testing.
- Experience designing systems for vibration, thermal, shock, and airborne environments.
- Experience supporting FAA military airworthiness or flight certification efforts.
- Experience integrating VPX, SOSA, OpenVPX, or other modular electronics.
- Familiarity with cable harness design standards, including AS50881.
- Experience with additive manufacturing and rapid prototyping.
- Experience supporting supplier technical oversight and hardware fabrication.
- Preferred technical skills: SolidWorks, Creo, CATIA, Siemens NX, AutoCAD, Windchill or Teamcenter, PDM/PLM tools, ANSYS Mechanical, thermal analysis tools, and Microsoft Office Suite.
- Experience supporting the design and integration of mission equipment racks, sensor payloads, EO/IR systems, radar systems, RF systems, embedded computing systems, VPX/OpenVPX chassis, tactical communications equipment, ruggedized electronic enclosures, cable harnesses and interconnects, cooling and airflow management systems, aircraft mission equipment, ground vehicle payload integrations, and expeditionary and mobile platforms.
Responsibilities
- Design and develop mechanical solutions for integrating sensors, processors, communication equipment, and mission systems.
- Develop detailed mechanical engineering drawings, fabrication packages, and technical data packages (TDPs).
- Create and maintain 3D CAD models, assemblies, and manufacturing drawings.
- Evaluate and develop Mechanical Interface Control Documents (ICDs) for subsystem integration.
- Design mounting structures, equipment racks, brackets, enclosures, cable routing, harness support, and structural interfaces.
- Optimize size, weight, power, cooling, and cost (SWaP-C), balancing structural integrity, manufacturability, maintainability, and mission performance.
- Develop thermal management and cooling solutions for electronic systems.
- Perform system power, weight, center-of-gravity, and SWaP assessments.
- Support aircraft, ground vehicle, and tactical platform integration activities.
- Support environmental qualification, including vibration, shock, thermal, humidity, and other MIL-STD testing requirements.
- Support prototype fabrication, hardware integration, system installation, and verification testing.
- Collaborate with Systems Engineering to ensure mechanical designs meet system requirements and interface definitions.
- Participate in PDR, CDR, TRR, and integration readiness reviews.
- Support transition from prototype development into production.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
