Job Type: Full-time/Permanent
Target Start Date: ASAP
Work Location/Structure: El Segundo, CA – 100% Onsite, 5 days/week
About the Opportunity:
Our client, a leader in advanced aviation component manufacturing, is looking for a skilled Senior Mechanical Test Engineer to join their team. This project involves building and owning their prototyping and qualification test lab from the ground up, serving as the founding test authority, and defining all test processes. This is a high-impact, builder-first role that requires a self-motivated professional who can hit the ground running and deliver results quickly in a fast-moving, high-performance hardware environment.
Key Responsibilities & Deliverables:
This role is focused on the successful completion of specific tasks and deliverables. Your responsibilities will include:
- Serve as the founding test authority by building and owning the prototyping and qualification test lab from the ground up.
- Define test processes and design and build custom test equipment to ensure components are tested efficiently and reliably.
- Execute qualification testing to DO-160 standards (thermal, vibration/shaker, sand/dust, cycle testing).
- Work closely with design, build, and production teams to ensure components are tested efficiently, reliably, and in a production-friendly manner.
- Mentor a growing team of junior engineers and machinists, fostering a collaborative and humble culture.
We are looking for someone with a proven track record of successful engagements. The ideal candidate will have:
- Extensive experience in hands-on mechanical test engineering, including fixtures, rigs, and troubleshooting.
- Proven track record of building or standing up a test lab or major test capability from scratch. This isn't a learning role—you need to be a subject matter expert.
- Direct experience with DO-160 qualification testing exposure.
- Ability to design custom test rigs (mechanical + basic hardware/firmware/software).
- Experience in a startup or high-growth hardware company background (SpaceX-like pace strongly preferred), comfortable with ambiguity and minimal structure.
- Demonstrated ability to work autonomously and manage your own time effectively to meet project goals.
- Strong communication skills to provide clear and concise status updates to the project team.
- ITAR eligibility is required for this fully onsite role in El Segundo, CA.
Official JD from Client:
Overview:
You will take mechanical products through development and qualification testing to prove their airworthiness. Your primary function will be to assist our design engineers with rapid testing to validate new product designs and expand Amca's product catalog. As a senior engineer at an early startup, you will also be responsible for setting up Amca's test processes for the future.
Responsibilities:
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Develop rapid solutions for test equipment for qualification of structural, pneumatic, or hydraulic hardware
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Work with Design Engineers to understand end-use applications and develop qualification test plans for hardware
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Take full ownership of test stand design including 3D modeling, structural analysis/hand calcs, detailed drawings, component and material selection, and build
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Support execution of qualification tests for new hardware
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Assist and/or fully develop the necessary software/PLC/logic required to execute tests
Build acceptance test solutions for production test
Work with design engineers to develop acceptance test plans for new hardware.
Leveraging test equipment developed for qualification testing, build out acceptance testing hardware that optimizes reliability, lead time, and labor
Work closely with Build Engineering and Production to make tests as production friendly as possible
Assist and/or fully develop software suite that enables easy test execution
Be a leader in developing Amca’s test processes
Assist in standard CAD and structural analysis/hand calc best practices
Assist in PLM development and configuration management for design documentation
Support Amca with company diligence and development
Evaluate companies product catalogs and help determine where largest opportunities lie in terms of Amca catalog expansion
Assist in the evaluation of company design, manufacturing, and test capabilities
Mentor early career mechanical and test engineers
Assist with recruiting mechanical and test engineers and building the mechanical engineering team at Amca
Qualifications:
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Exceptionally curious and fast learner; able to contribute across diverse part categories and manufacturing processes
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Demonstrated ability to use engineering first principles to challenge and simplify requirements
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Hands-on and practical—comfortable building, testing, and troubleshooting in real-world environments
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Independent and creative; thrives with ownership and minimal oversight
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Experience with mechanical design, applying first-principles thinking to structural, thermal, fluid, and production constraints
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Proficient in CAD, PLM/PDM systems, and geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T)
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Experience in hands calcs and basic FEM
