Mechanical Design Engineer

Job Title: Senior Design Engineer – Tactical Armored Vehicles

Department: Engineering

Reports To: Director of Engineering

Location : Mooresville, North Carolina

Position Summary

The Senior Design Engineer leads the mechanical design, integration, and release of armored vehicle structures, chassis systems, crew-survivability features, and mission equipment from early concept through prototype, validation, production launch, and post-release engineering support. This role is intended for a senior-level engineer with deep experience in armored chassis, survivability-driven packaging, and system-level mechanical integration in a defense manufacturing environment.

Core responsibilitie

sMission-critical responsibilities

:- Lead full product lifecycle execution for tactical armored vehicle hardware, from concept studies and trade analyses through detailed design, prototype build, verification, production release, and continuous improvement in manufacturing

.- Own 3D CAD models, assemblies, layouts, and 2D manufacturing drawings for hull structures, chassis components, crew-protection features, brackets, mounts, enclosures, and integrated subsystems using SolidWorks

.- Perform tolerance stack-up analysis and apply GD&T in accordance with ASME Y14.5 or company standards to ensure interchangeability, manufacturability, and reliable vehicle-level fit-up across welded, machined, and fabricated assemblies

.- Develop and maintain engineering bills of material and part structures in PDM system, ensuring accurate configuration control from prototype through production

.- Drive and document engineering changes through ECR/ECO/ECN workflows, including root-cause assessment, impact analysis, drawing/model updates, disposition of affected parts, and implementation tracking with manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and program teams

.- Lead mechanical integration of armor packages, spall liners, blast-mitigation features, suspension interfaces, powertrain packaging, cooling hardware, crew equipment, and mission systems while managing weight, serviceability, and performance tradeoffs

.- Support prototype builds, design verification, failure analysis, troubleshooting, and validation testing for structural, environmental, mobility, and survivability requirements

.- Present design maturity, technical risks, and release status in peer reviews, design reviews, and cross-functional program meetings

.
Additional leadership responsibilitie

s:- Mentor mid-level and junior engineers in design practices, release discipline, problem solving, and effective collaboration with manufacturing and test team

s.- Establish technical approaches for cost, manufacturability, and lifecycle support, including obsolescence review, supplier coordination, and replacement-part strateg

y.- Coordinate schedules, engineering deliverables, and risk-burndown activities to support program milestones, customer reviews, and production readines

s.
Required qualificati

on:Education and experie

nce- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field; Master’s degree preferr

ed.- 10+ years of mechanical design experience, with significant experience in defense, armored vehicle, combat vehicle, military mobility, or closely related heavy vehicle progra

ms.- Demonstrated experience taking hardware from concept through prototype, qualification, and production in a regulated or mission-critical environme

nt.
Defense-industry technical sk

ills- Expert-level proficiency in SolidWorks for complex assemblies, drawing creation, and engineering rele

ase.- Strong working knowledge of GD&T, tolerance analysis, stack-up methods, and design-for-manufacture/design-for-assembly princip

les.- Experience with armored chassis or hull structures, welded/fabricated vehicle assemblies, and system-level packaging of mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, and cooling interfa

ces.- Experience integrating ballistic protection solutions such as armor modules, attachment schemes, and spall-liner provisions into vehicle architectures from the design ph

ase.- Solid understanding of materials and processes relevant to defense vehicle design, such as armor steels, aluminum structures, composites, weldments, machined parts, elastomers, and sheet me

tal.- Experience managing BOMs and configuration data in PDM environments and executing formal ECR/ECO change cont

rol.- Hands-on experience with prototype builds, troubleshooting, test support, root-cause analysis, and release corrections in production environme

nts.
Preferred qualificat

ions:- Prior experience with tactical wheeled or tracked vehicles, MRAPs, armored support vehicles, or protected mobility sys

tems.- Familiarity with military vehicle procurement, DoD development processes, and customer technical rev

iews.- Knowledge of subsystem integration considerations involving crew ergonomics, maintainability, survivability, thermal management, and harsh-environment durabi

lity.- Experience with tolerance-analysis tools integrated with CAD platf

orms.
Soft

skills
- Strong cross-functional collaboration skills with manufacturing, quality, supply chain, program management, test, field service, and suppliers in an integrated product team envir

onment.- Excellent project scheduling and execution discipline, with the ability to manage multiple workstreams, communicate blockers early, and maintain progress against program mile

stones.- Technical leadership presence, including the ability to guide design reviews, mentor engineers, explain complex design issues clearly, and influence decisions across disci

plines.- High ownership, sound engineering judgment, and a practical approach to balancing analysis with build-and-test execution in mission-critical pr

ograms.- Strong written and verbal communication skills for specifications, technical reports, change documentation, and customer-facing discu