Mechanical Engineering Intern (Summer 2026)

Role Overview: As a Mechanical Engineering Intern, you will play a hands-on role in designing, developing, and testing complex mechanical systems for customer-facing projects. In this role, you will contribute to the full development lifecycle, from initial concept and simulation through prototyping, validation, and integration. Whether it’s designing mechanisms and enclosures, performing structural analysis, or designing precision assemblies for manufacturability, you'll be making real contributions to complex systems. This internship is designed to accelerate your technical growth, giving you the chance to build a strong foundation in mechanical engineering while making an immediate impact. What You Will Do: Ownership: Contribute to the design of mechanical systems for customers across various industries Technical Mentorship: Partner closely with a mentor who will provide technical guidance, feedback, and support throughout the entire internship Design & Analysis: Utilize CAD and simulation tools to develop structural, thermal, and tolerance analyses for electromechanical assemblies, using both hand calculations and FEA Thermal Management: Design and analyze active and passive thermal management systems for custom electronic systems and packaging solutions Prototyping & Testing: Participate in test campaigns to validate hardware performance under shock, vibration, thermal, and other environmental stresses What You Will Need: Current enrollment in college (Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, Robotics, or related field) Experience in designing, modeling, simulation, and testing of electromechanical components or assemblies Experience with hand calculations, finite element analysis (FEA), and computer-aided design (CAD) Demonstrated passion and curiosity for mechanical engineering Strong problem-solving skills and initiative to overcome technical challenges Strong written and verbal technical communication skills; ability to explain design decisions and component selections What Would Be Useful: Experience in team-based design and build projects (e.g., Formula SAE, Solar Car, CubeSat, Rover Challenge, etc.) Familiarity with circuits and electrical engineering fundamentals Familiarity with manufacturing processes, such as machining, injection molding, water jetting, electro-discharge machining, and 3D printing Familiarity with generating thermal models for electronic assemblies; experience with thermal analysis of electronic devices with FEA and CFD modeling Experience with high-precision 3D printing processes and design for complex systems Ability to analyze and estimate structural loading from environmental sources Experience with fatigue and thermal testing of electromechanical assemblies Understanding of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) Benefits: Salary: $70,400 annual salary, prorated for length of internship Flexible work hours and work from home policy 100% employer-paid health insurance (Medical, Dental, Vision) for employees + 50% dependent coverage Accrued paid time off policy, accrued sick days policy, and paid company holidays 401(k) retirement account and employer matching (Safe Harbor 4%) Housing stipend bonus Electric Vehicle (EV) charging ports Catered lunches, snacks, and accessible kitchen Our Values in Practice: SOE’s four core values are the standard by which we operate. As an engineering intern, you are expected to embody them in every design decision, debugging session, and team interaction: Lead with Curiosity: Approach every system with a desire to understand not just how it works, but why it was designed that way. Ask questions early and often of your mentor, your teammates, and yourself. The best engineers are the ones who never stop learning. Own the Outcome: Take genuine ownership of your work, from first prototype through final validation. Communicate blockers early, document your work thoroughly, and follow through on what you commit to. Build the Right Thing: Understand the customer need behind each technical requirement and make design decisions that are practical, reliable, and built to last. Good engineering solves the real problem, not just the interesting one. Empower Others: Contribute to a team culture where knowledge is shared freely. Ask for feedback, act on it, and share what you learn with those around you. Your curiosity and fresh perspectives will make the whole team better. About SOE: SOE is an engineering consulting firm that specializes in electrical, electromechanical, and embedded systems. Founded in 2016, we’ve grown from a 3-person operation to a team of 25+ engineers across offices in El Segundo, CA and Redmond, WA. In that time, we’ve completed over 250 projects for more than 100 clients. Our designs control rocket engines, manage satellite communications, instrument fusion reactors, and are enjoyed by consumers around the world. The only thing we won’t build are weapons. We’re 100% employee-owned, which means that every engineer at SOE has a real stake in what we build. We structured the company this way because we believe the people best equipped to advance our mission are the ones doing the work. We approach problems from first principles. We break challenges down to their most fundamental components, which is how we find solutions that hold up across industries, use cases, and engineering functions. We focus on solving the right problems and building the teams to take them on. Additional Requirements: Applicants must be able to commit to a 12-16 week internship Applicant must be willing to work 40 hours a week on-site in El Segundo, California, USA Applicant must be eligible to work on export controlled projects Job Type: Full-time (Salary) Export Control Requirements: To conform with U.S. Government export control regulations, including the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide sponsorship at this time. If you don’t meet 100% of the preferred skills and experience, we encourage you to still apply! Second Order Effects is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SOE is governed on the basis of excellence and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status.