Mechanical Design Engineer

Company Overview

Wild West Systems is an American defense technology company with the mission to equip the civilized world with superior and affordable arms and advanced technologies to dominate the battlefield of present and future threats in a new era of asymmetrical warfare. We fuse versatile domain experience with novel approach and creativity to change the paradigm of defense both for military arenas and civilian soft targets. Were an early stage startup rapidly moving and growing.

General Qualifications (all roles):

• Deep love for America and passion for Wild West Systems mission.
• Self-starter capable of performing tasks as an individual as well as working well in a team.
• Servant-leader mentality extreme ownership willing to participate in different and rapidly changing projects in a dynamic environment. Bias for action.
• ITAR REQUIREMENT: To conform to U.S. Government export regulations applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national (ii) U.S. lawful permanent resident (aka green card holder) (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. 1157 or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. 1158 or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

Position Overview

As a Mechanical Design Engineer your job is to design build test and ship mechanical systems that survive real-world use.

From early prototypes to scaled production you own your parts end-to-end. If it breaks you fix it. If it doesnt exist yet you design it. If it works on paper but fails in the field its not done.

Extreme ownership is the baseline. You will be expected to work late hours and weekends if needed to accomplish the mission.

Your work directly arms the warfighter. That responsibility is non-negotiable. Real ownership not task lists Hardware that goes from bench to field fast A team that values execution over ego A mission that actually matters.

What You Own

• The mechanical integrity performance and manufacturability of your designs
• Components mechanisms and structures from concept production
• Iteration speed without sacrificing reliability or safety
• Getting parts built assembled tested and validated-no handoffs
• If it touches metal motion load paths or force youre accountable

What You Actually Do

Component & System Design

• Design components with full lifecycle responsibility: calculations tolerances GD&T drawings and validation
• Design in context-your parts must work with everyone elses under real loads

Mechanisms

• Design and integrate linkages gears motors actuators and assemblies that work under stress

Prototyping & Fabrication

• Build fast using in-house tools or external vendors
• Own the loop from CAD part install revision

Testing & Validation

• Test like its going to the field-because it is
• Measure performance identify failure modes and fix them
• Paper success doesnt count. Field performance does

DFM & Scale

• Design for manufacturability from day one
• Work directly with manufacturing and machinists to ensure precision repeatability and scale

Procurement & Build Support

• Source materials components and vendors to keep builds moving
• Solve supply problems without waiting for permission

Ownership & Adaptability

• Priorities shift. Problems emerge. You step in
• No thats not my job. Only what needs to be done.

Documentation & Improvement

• Document designs tests processes and lessons learned so hardware can be built again
• Raise the bar on safety reliability and speed every cycle

Required Skills and Experience

• Proven hands-on mechanical design experience
• Strong CAD and GD&T capability
• Ability to work independently in high-stakes fast-moving environments
• Bias for action high accountability and resilience under pressure

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Weapons systems UAVs aerospace or high-performance mechanisms
• Designing hardware that survives testing not just reviews it
• Additive manufacturing and 3D printer operation/maintenance
• Designing for production-not just prototypes
• Startup or small-team environments where impact is immediate
• Onshape experience a plus; willingness to transition required

Work Location:

This role is assigned onsite at our Leander TX facility.

Benefits:

We are always looking for good people! Wild West Systems is committed to providing its employees with competitive salaries and benefits in order to increase employee satisfaction and productivity.

Health Insurance:100% coverage for employees 90% for spouse/family

Vision and Dental: 100% Coverage

Important Information:

All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to disability status as a protected veteran or any other status protected by applicable federal state local or international law.

As part of the application process you are expected to be on camera during interviews and assessments. We reserve the right to take your picture to verify your identity and prevent fraud.

If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application interviewing completing any pre-employment testing or otherwise participating in the employee selection process please direct your inquiries to our Talent Team at

This company uses E-Verify to confirm each employees work authorization.

Required Experience:

IC