Design Engineer

POSITION FOCUS: Approximately 90% Design Engineering / 10% Program Management Support

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POSITION SUMMARY: Reporting to the Engineering Manager, the Design Engineer is responsible for the design, development, improvement, qualification, and sustainment of Aerial’s mission-critical survivability and life-support products for the Aerospace and Defense markets.

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The Design Engineer supports Aerial’s Engineered Material Integrated Solutions (EMIS) portfolio and related product families, which may include Emergency Breathing Systems, Ventilation and Respiratory systems, flotation and life-support equipment, fuel tank fire suppression systems, rescue equipment, advanced textile and soft-good assemblies, mechanical hardware, and other integrated survivability solutions.

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The Design Engineer works closely with Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Business Development, Program Management, customers, suppliers, and other technical personnel to develop practical, manufacturable solutions for products that must perform reliably in demanding operating environments.

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Approximately 90% of the position is focused on engineering design, development, testing, and sustaining engineering activities. Approximately 10% is dedicated to supporting Program Management activities, such as schedule inputs, technical status reporting, action-item tracking, customer coordination, and execution of assigned program deliverables.

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JOB DUTIES AND ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

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Design Engineering and Product Development

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• Develop innovative engineering solutions for new, next-generation, and existing Aerial survivability and life-support products.

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• Create engineering analyses, designs, calculations, engineering masters, technical reports, specifications, drawings, models, test documentation, and engineering approvals as required.

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• Design and model products, components, fixtures, and assemblies using Autodesk Inventor and other applicable engineering tools, producing detailed drawings and engineering documentation that conform to Aerial standards and applicable industry requirements.

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• Translate customer requirements, statements of work, performance specifications, military specifications, and industry standards into clear and traceable engineering requirements.

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• Perform engineering analysis to verify that designs meet applicable structural, strength, weight, environmental, durability, functionality, human-factors, reliability, and safety requirements.

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• Apply appropriate engineering standards and requirements, which may include MIL-STD, MIL-SPEC, ASME Y14.5, AS9100, customer specifications, and other applicable aerospace and defense standards.

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• Apply knowledge of mechanical design, advanced materials, structural design, soft goods, integrated systems, pneumatic or life-support systems, and precision manufacturing as applicable to assigned projects.

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• Develop prototypes and engineering development articles and coordinate their manufacture, assembly, modification, and evaluation.

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Drawings, Configuration Management, and Design Control

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• Develop and maintain engineering drawings, bills of materials, engineering masters, specifications, technical data, and other controlled engineering documentation.

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• Lead or contribute to engineering design reviews, drawing reviews, design releases, design changes, and Engineering Change Orders.

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• Support component obsolescence resolution, alternate material evaluations, supplier changes, and other configuration changes affecting fielded products.

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Test, Qualification, and Validation

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• Develop engineering test plans, procedures, fixtures, instrumentation, and acceptance criteria.

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• Participate in and support product testing at Aerial facilities, customer locations, independent laboratories, government facilities, and other external test locations as required.

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• Analyze test results, document findings, identify root causes of failures or performance gaps, and implement appropriate design improvements.

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• Support developmental testing, qualification testing, verification and validation, First Article Inspection, and other product acceptance activities.

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Manufacturing and Production Engineering Support

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• Provide hands-on engineering support to Aerial manufacturing operations during prototype development, production transition, and ongoing production.

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• Evaluate designs for manufacturability, producibility, assembly, inspection, cost, and scalability.

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• Develop or support the development of tooling, fixtures, manufacturing aids, inspection aids, and other production-support equipment.

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• Investigate production and supplier technical issues and develop timely, technically sound corrective solutions.

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• Support root-cause analysis and corrective-action efforts involving engineering-related product or manufacturing issues.

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• Participate in production-readiness reviews for new and modified products.

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Customer and Cross-Functional Technical Support

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• Serve as an engineering representative for assigned products, projects, and technical efforts.

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• Participate in customer technical discussions, design reviews, product demonstrations, test events, and technical working meetings.

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• Clearly communicate engineering concepts, design decisions, technical risks, test results, and recommended solutions to technical and non-technical audiences.

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• Provide engineering expertise in support of proposals, quotations, technical responses, estimates, statements of work, and new-business opportunities.

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• Support Business Development and leadership with technical information, presentations, product demonstrations, and customer discussions when required.

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PROGRAM MANAGEMENT SUPPORT – APPROXIMATELY 10%

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The Design Engineer will provide limited program-management support associated with assigned engineering projects and products. This responsibility is intended to complement—not replace—the position's primary Design Engineering responsibilities.

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Program support activities may include:

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• Provide engineering inputs to program schedules, milestones, budgets, estimates, and resource requirements.

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• Provide accurate technical status updates for internal leadership, customers, and program reviews.

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• Participate in program reviews, customer meetings, and working groups as the engineering representative.

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• Assist with meeting preparation, technical presentations, action-item tracking, and follow-up.

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• Coordinate engineering deliverables with Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, and other functional organizations.

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• Alert the Director of Engineering when technical issues may affect program scope, schedule, cost, quality, or customer commitments.

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• Support proposal development, engineering estimates, technical planning, and other program-related activities as required.

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EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, AND SKILLS

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• Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related engineering discipline applicable to aerospace, defense, product design, or manufacturing.

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• Minimum of 3–5 years of engineering design and product-development experience; aerospace, defense, life-support, survivability, or other regulated-product experience strongly preferred.

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• Demonstrated proficiency with Autodesk Inventor or comparable 3D CAD software, including development of parts, assemblies, detailed drawings, and engineering documentation.

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• Strong working knowledge of engineering drawing practices, dimensional tolerancing, and Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T).

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• Working knowledge of bills of materials, configuration management, revision control, engineering changes, drawing release, and maintenance of controlled engineering records.

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• Experience performing engineering analysis using classical calculations and Finite Element Analysis.

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• Experience developing prototypes, conducting engineering testing, analyzing results, and incorporating test findings into product designs.

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• Experience designing products for manufacturability and supporting products through transition from engineering development into production.

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• Experience working in a manufacturing environment is strongly preferred.

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• Aerospace or military product-design experience involving mechanical, structural, textile, electrical, pneumatic, life-support, or integrated systems is preferred.

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• Experience with engineering tools or programming environments such as LabVIEW, Excel VBA, data-acquisition systems, or similar applications is desirable but not required.

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• Working knowledge of applicable Aerospace and Defense standards, including MIL-STD, MIL-SPEC, ASME Y14.5, and AS9100, is preferred.

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• Ability to independently analyze complex technical problems, develop practical solutions, and make sound engineering recommendations.

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• Strong analytical, organizational, problem-solving, time-management, and prioritization skills.

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• Ability to manage multiple engineering assignments and priorities simultaneously.

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• Ability to work effectively as part of a cross-functional team and influence outcomes without direct supervisory authority.

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• Ability to balance detailed technical execution with an understanding of schedule, cost, manufacturability, customer requirements, and overall program objectives.

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• Proficient with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

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• Effective written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate engineering information to production personnel, customers, suppliers, other engineers, management, and senior leadership.

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• Ability and willingness to work directly with manufacturing personnel and spend time on the production floor supporting prototype and production activities.

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• Ability to travel to customer facilities, supplier facilities, laboratories, test sites, trade events, and other locations as required.

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• Must be a U.S. Citizen as defined under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), 22 CFR §120.62, due to the export-controlled nature of the work.

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OTHER DUTIES

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• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned by management consistent with the overall nature and level of the position.

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