Mechanical Design Engineer (R&D Focus)
First seen by Alion on Nov 2, 2026.
About the Role
We are looking for an experienced Mechanical Engineer to join our specialized engineering team responsible for the design, manufacture, and life-cycle support of large-scale industrial air-conditioning units (ACUs) for deep underground spot cooling mining applications.
Operating within a small, highly collaborative team, your primary mandate will be driving our Research & Development pipeline. However, because we are a lean operation, you must be a pragmatic, hands-on engineer willing to step outside the pure design environment to assist with physical prototyping, production hold points, and occasional field troubleshooting at mine sites.
Duties & ResponsibilitiesCore Responsibilities
- New Product & Auxiliary Design: Lead the complete design cycle for new ACU platforms and develop custom auxiliary systems annually.
- Validation & Modelling: Generate robust validation data to ensure designs fulfil stringent operational requirements. This includes building mathematical and simulation models, design and conduct substantiation tests as well as authoring comprehensive design and test reports.
- Configuration & Execution Data: Collaborate with our central Draughting & Documentation function to ensure your designs are accurately translated into execution data (manufacturing drawings, quality documents, specifications, work instructions and manuals) required by our production line, sub-contractors, maintenance teams & customers.
- Cross-Functional Engineering (Production & Field):
- Actively participate in the physical prototyping of new R&D designs, bridging the gap between theoretical models and field-ready equipment.
- Implement design changes to directly improve manufacturability in collaboration with the Process Engineering function.
- Assist with high-level ACU troubleshooting; expect occasional travel to operational mine sites to support the fleet team during complex technical investigations.
Qualifications:
- B.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering
Experience:
- Minimum of 5 years of relevant mechanical engineering experience, ideally with exposure to heavy industrial machinery, thermodynamics, or industrial refrigeration systems.
Software Proficiency:
- Expertise in generating models and designs using SolidWorks, EES (Engineering Equation Solver), Flownex, Python.
Analytical Rigor:
- Strong capability in evaluating validation data and translating fluid dynamics and heat transfer requirements into manufacturable solutions.
Adaptability:
- A high willingness to blend focused, deep-work desk engineering with physical, on-site problem solving across different functional areas when the team requires surge capacity.
Interested in this opportunity? Please submit your CV and relevant qualifications to [email protected] for consideration. We look forward to receiving your application and engaging with you.