Vehicle Structures & Mechanisms Engineer Intern

Position Summary:
The role focuses on root cause analysis, engineering design, and manufacturing. Whether you're working on highly iterative mechanisms that move or tight-margin structures that shouldn’t, you’ll get hands-on hardware ownership and see the rocket coming to life on the factory floor.
Responsibilities:
Support the design, analysis, and testing of electromechanical actuators (EMAs) and pneumatic actuator systems for aerospace applications.
Assist in creating CAD models, drawings, and documentation for actuator components and subassemblies, ensuring compliance with engineering standards.
Perform preliminary hand calculations and simulation support for actuator performance, loads, and kinematics.
Participate in hardware build and test activities, including setup, data collection, and post-test analysis.
Contribute to troubleshooting and root cause analysis for actuator performance or integration issues.
Collaborate with cross-functional engineering teams (mechanical, electrical, and test) to deliver reliable mechanism solutions.
Design and develop piece parts, assemblies, and systems from early conceptualization up through full initial release – working with large machined metallic components, sheet metal, composites, formed panels, and more
Integrate critical design for manufacturing choices in direct coordination with the manufacturing engineering team
Perform packaging assessment of systems – resolve interferences, perform tolerance stack analyses, validate hardware stacks and fastener selections, integrate nominal gapping and shimming strategies, and more
Support BOM and configuration management of various systems across multiple vehicles
Create and release drawings as part of system release sprints post-CDR, including incorporating GD&T as primary definition
Required Qualifications:
Current undergraduate or graduate student pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical discipline
Hands-on experience with mechanical design, prototyping, or analysis of structural or mechanism components
Familiarity with CAD tools (NX, SolidWorks, or similar) and exposure to FEA or engineering coding languages like Python or MATLAB
Strong interest in aerospace hardware such as actuators, linkages, latches, or deployable structures
Collaborative team member who thrives in fast-paced, multidisciplinary environments and is eager to learn
Experience working on an engineering team/project designing and building hardware
1-2 years established CAD experience (SolidWorks, NX, CATIA, Fusion 360, etc.)
Demonstrates fundamental engineering principles and integrating them into design decisions
Able to work in large assemblies and navigate/manage large BOM's
Excitement to work on rockets and be onsite with real-world hardware
Preferred Qualifications:
Familiarity with CAD tools (NX) and basic drafting practices.
Experience with basic programming or scripting (e.g., Python, MATLAB) for data analysis or automation.
Exposure to finite element analysis (FEA) or other simulation tools for structural or thermal modeling.
Hands-on experience with prototyping, machining, or test lab equipment.
Experience on a rocket team
1+ years experience with NX/Teamcenter PLM
1+ years experience with GD&T and drafting
Compensation:
The compensation for this role is $34–42 per hour.
Important: The successful application submission for the above role(s) will be conditional to your profile evaluation by our Recruitment Specialists using the AI system. We can let you know better once you submit your resume.

Work arrangement
Yes