Staff Mechanical Engineer

ARA Career • Arlington, VA

5h • Onsite

About The Position

Applied Research Associates (ARA) is seeking a Staff Mechanical Engineer to support complex Department of Defense (DoD) infrastructure modernization and advanced manufacturing facility programs. This role serves as a technical integrator between process design teams, equipment vendors, and Architectural & Engineering (A&E) subcontractors. The Staff Mechanical Engineer will manage facility design coordination, review and validate A&E submittals, and ensure facility systems properly support mission-critical production processes. In addition to technical leadership, this position includes project coordination responsibilities supporting senior program management, including subcontractor oversight, progress tracking, and structured reporting of facility design status. This will be an in-office position.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related.
• U.S. Citizenship and ability to obtain/maintain a DoD security clearance.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in facility design, industrial systems, or infrastructure projects.
• Demonstrated experience reviewing and interpreting mechanical and facility construction drawings.
• Experience coordinating with A&E firms or multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Experience reviewing subcontractor deliverables and tracking performance against scope.
• Familiarity with utility systems (HVAC, chilled water, compressed air, electrical distribution interfaces, fire protection).
• Experience supporting technical submittals to government or regulated clients.
• Strong understanding of drawing review processes and configuration control.

Nice To Haves

• Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering or related with 3-5 years of relevant experience or PhD in Mechanical Engineer or related with 0-2 years of relevant experience.
• Experience supporting DoD or federal infrastructure programs.
• Familiarity with Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC) and federal design standards.
• Experience integrating industrial equipment into facility layouts.
• Experience supporting cost and schedule tracking within engineering programs.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license or EIT certification (preferred but not required).

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary mechanical engineering interface between ARA and Architectural & Engineering (A&E) partners.
• Review, evaluate, and provide technical direction on facility design submittals (15%, 35%, 65%, 95%, and IFC packages).
• Ensure mechanical, utility, and infrastructure designs align with process and equipment requirements.
• Track submittals, comments, and design changes to maintain configuration control.
• Review subcontractor progress reports for technical completeness and alignment with scope.
• Evaluate subcontractor invoices against progress achieved and contractual deliverables.
• Review mechanical, HVAC, piping, utilities, and equipment layout drawings for compliance with program requirements.
• Interpret and evaluate facility drawings, specifications, and engineering calculations.
• Ensure designs incorporate process-driven requirements such as utilities demand, environmental controls, weight handling, safety features, and maintenance access.
• Identify design gaps and coordinate resolution with A&E and internal engineering teams.
• Support risk identification and mitigation planning related to facility design maturity.
• Coordinate with process engineers to translate process design requirements to facility design requirements.
• Work with chemical engineers to confirm footprint, load, utility, environmental, and control system requirements for equipment vendors.
• Support development of technical specifications for facility systems supporting production operations.
• Lead preparation and technical review of facility design packages submitted to the Government.
• Participate in customer-facing design reviews and technical interchange meetings.
• Provide structured facility design status updates to senior program management, including Design maturity assessments, Submittal status tracking, Technical risk identification, and Schedule impacts related to facility design progress.
• Develop briefing materials summarizing facility design progress for executive and customer audiences.
• Support development of Basis of Design (BOD) documents and technical requirement definitions.
• Coordinate across mechanical, electrical, structural, and process disciplines to ensure integrated design execution.

Benefits

• ARA gives employees the tools, training, and opportunities to take more active roles as owners.
• Employees are eligible for contributions which not only add to the company’s success, but also their own through the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).

What This Job Offers

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