Mechanical Engineer

Job Description

Job Description

Job Title: Principal Motor Design Engineer (Mechanical Engineer)

Job Description

This role serves as the principal technical leader for the design, development, and qualification of advanced electric motor systems that support next-generation aerospace and defense platforms. You will own the full motor development lifecycle for high-performance Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors, Brushless DC motors, and AC synchronous machines used in mission-critical applications. Acting as the technical authority, you will translate complex system requirements into innovative, manufacturable, and highly reliable motor solutions while guiding multidisciplinary teams through requirements development, modeling and simulation, prototype manufacturing, qualification testing, certification, and production release.

Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end design and development of advanced electric motor systems for aerospace and defense applications, from concept through production release.
• Serve as the principal subject matter expert for Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors, Brushless DC motors, AC synchronous machines, and related electric machines.
• Translate system-level requirements into detailed motor specifications, ensuring performance, reliability, and manufacturability for high-reliability environments.
• Evaluate motor designs as integrated electromechanical systems, balancing electromagnetic performance with mechanical integrity, thermal management, structural durability, rotordynamics, bearing design, material selection, and drivetrain integration.
• Perform detailed modeling, simulation, and analysis of electric machines using ANSYS Motor-CAD and related tools for electromagnetic, thermal, structural, and mechanical behavior.
• Develop and review CAD models, engineering drawings, GD&T, tolerance stack-ups, and dimensional fits for precision rotating assemblies.
• Guide designs through the complete product lifecycle, including requirements review, specification development, concept design, detailed analysis, CAD and drawings, prototyping, test, qualification, and transition to production.
• Collaborate closely with multidisciplinary engineering teams, providing technical leadership, mentoring, and strategic direction to ensure successful program execution.
• Define and oversee motor test and qualification plans, ensuring compliance with applicable aerospace and defense standards and customer requirements.
• Assess and select materials for high-performance electromechanical hardware, ensuring compatibility, durability, and performance in demanding operating environments.
• Integrate motor designs with drive electronics, applying a strong understanding of motor control fundamentals and system-level interactions.
• Conduct troubleshooting and root-cause analysis for motor and system-level issues, using first-principles engineering to resolve technical challenges.
• Prepare clear technical documentation, reports, and presentations that communicate design rationale, analysis results, and test findings.
• Present technical designs and analyses in internal design reviews and to customers and government stakeholders, effectively defending technical decisions and trade-offs.
• Ensure designs and development activities align with relevant aerospace and defense standards, including MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-461, MIL-STD-704, AS9100, and related requirements.

Essential Skills

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electromechanical Engineering, or a closely related field.
• 10+ years of experience designing electric motors, rotating electromechanical systems, or other high-performance machinery, preferably in aerospace, defense, or similar high-reliability industries.
• Demonstrated expertise in Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors, Brushless DC motors, AC synchronous machines, or similar electric machine designs.
• Strong understanding of magnetic circuits, winding design, motor losses, efficiency, torque production, and thermal management in electric machines.
• Hands-on proficiency with ANSYS Motor-CAD for motor design and analysis.
• Experience using ANSYS or equivalent tools for electromagnetic, thermal, structural, and mechanical analysis of electric machines and components.
• Proven ability to evaluate motor designs beyond electromagnetic performance, including thermal behavior, structural integrity, rotor dynamics, bearings, balancing, mechanical interfaces, and drivetrain considerations.
• Experience with GD&T, engineering drawings, tolerance analysis and stack-up, dimensional fits, and precision rotating assemblies.
• Experience in material selection and compatibility for high-performance electromechanical hardware.
• Track record of taking designs through the full lifecycle: requirements review, specification development, concept design, detailed analysis, CAD and drawings, prototyping, testing, qualification, and production transition.
• Strong understanding of motor control fundamentals and the interaction between motors and drive electronics.
• Working knowledge of aerospace and defense standards such as MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-461, MIL-STD-704, AS9100, and related requirements.
• Strong first-principles engineering skills, including troubleshooting, root-cause analysis, and problem solving.
• Excellent technical writing and verbal communication skills for documentation and stakeholder presentations.
• Ability to present technical designs and analysis to customers, internal design review teams, and government stakeholders.
• U.S. Citizenship required due to government contract requirements and access to export-controlled information.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Master's degree or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electromechanical Engineering, or a related discipline is preferred.
• 7+ years of experience as a Mechanical Design Engineer, with a focus on new product development and machine design.
• Hands-on experience with motor design, including Permanent Magnet AC and 400 Hz AC motor systems.
• Proficiency with SolidWorks or similar 3D CAD tools for mechanical design and 3D modeling.
• Experience with Motor-CAD and related motor design software tools.
• Mechanical design for high-performance rotating machinery, including detailed machine design and motor integration.
• Familiarity with precision engineering practices for rotating equipment used in aerospace and defense applications.

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Baton Rouge, LA.

The pay range for this position is $55.00 - $67.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

This is a fully onsite position in Baton Rouge,LA.

This position is anticipated to close on Sep 10, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications withoutregard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability,sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protectedby law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification oradjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability,please email View email address on ziprecruiter.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in thecity and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicantswith arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as acondition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this lawshall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process,including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applicationsand qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, youacknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.