Lead Mechanical Engineer

About North Wind: North Wind is a leading independent supplier of complex hypersonic Research, Development, Test & Evaluation (RDT&E) systems and services. Leveraging decades of specialized experience, North Wind delivers hypersonic and RDT&E capabilities through five complementary business segments: Applied R&D; Test Articles and Critical System Components; Test Facility Design & Build; Test Services; Flight Testing & Flight Systems. The Company’s offerings span the full life cycle of aerospace & defense and commercial systems, including end-to-end turnkey solutions. Learn more at www.north-wind.com .

Summary: Responsible for providing mechanical and structural design and analysis services for wind tunnel and hypersonic ground test projects. This diverse role includes designing and validating predominantly custom, one‑off equipment and components for new tunnel facilities as well as major capability upgrades to existing facilities. The position requires close collaboration with engineers and designers from Controls Engineering, Software, Facilities Engineering, AeroThermal, and other teams to deliver integrated solutions.

Responsibilities

Design (30%) - Design and develop mechanical subsystems. The mechanical subsystems include welded steel structures, pressure vessels, piping systems, simple and complex mechanisms, rotating equipment, and process equipment (pneumatic, hydraulic, fuel, and cooling water). Work collaboratively with Designers to prepare drawings and bills of material for internal release or work with sub-contracts to construct a procurement specification when components our outsourced.

Analysis (25%) - FEA analysis and calculations for substantiation of mechanical subsystems to assure compliance with self-derived and customer requirements.

Document & Present (15%) - Document and present work in accordance with quality and customer requirements. Prepare design criteria, calculation packages, procurement specifications, technical reports, design verification & validation plans. Participate and lead internal and customer design reviews.

Support (15%) - Provides guidance to fabrication, procurement, assembly and installation teams. Assists with vendor selection, subcontractor quality assurance, site surveys, equipment installation and commissioning.

Budget and Schedule Management (10%) - Effectively time manage and communicate resource usage to ensure projects stay within schedule and on budget. Coordinate with Project Manager, Chief Engineer, and other disciplines to ensure cohesiveness.

Quote (5%) - Assist in developing proposals for future work. Develop concepts, cost estimates, and proposal write-ups in cooperation with the Marketing department.

Preferred Education / Experience

• Bachelors in mechanical or aerospace engineering from an accredited university.
• 10+ years of practical work experience in design engineering, systems engineering, or similar roles with large industrial equipment or facilities.
• A combination of education and experience equivalent to above.
• Due to security requirements, US Person status is required.

Preferred Knowledge / Ability

• Self‑starter with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and prioritize workload effectively.
• Proficiency in 3D CAD modeling (required). SolidWorks experience (preferred).
• Proficiency in Finite Element Analysis (required). ANSYS experience (preferred).
• Design & analysis experience of welded steel structures.
• Experience designing and analyzing fluid packages or process equipment, including valves, filters, pumps, and instrumentation for pneumatic, hydraulic, fuel, and cooling water systems.
• General knowledge of fabrication methods including forming, welding, machining, and additive manufacturing.
• Design and analysis experience with pressure vessels and piping systems in accordance with applicable codes (e.g., ASME BPVC, B31.3, PED).
• Experience with high‑temperature environments (>2000°F / >1365K), including transient heat transfer analysis, cooling methods, high‑temperature materials (superalloys, ceramics), and thermal barrier coatings.
• Prior wind tunnel or other aerospace design experience.
• Familiarity with GD&T.
• Familiarity with risk assessment methodologies such as FMEA, Safety Risk Assessments, and HAZOP analysis.
• Ability to work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary engineering team.
• Basic understanding of subsonic, supersonic, and hypersonic aerodynamics.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally. Travel typically is less than 10%.