{"id":2191736,"url":"https://alion.io/job/vatn-senior-mechanical-design-engineer","title":"Senior Mechanical Design Engineer","company":{"id":720699,"name":"Vatn","domain":"vatn.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/vatn-2","size_band":"51-200","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":75,"open_postings":8,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":1,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":null,"computed_at":"2026-10-14T06:34:16Z"}},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":"senior","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Bristol, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":94000,"max_usd":178000,"period":"year","method":"role_seniority_country_remote_cell","sample_n":5037},"experience_years_min":5,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"SolidWorks","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-09T17:49:41Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-09","last_verified_at":"2026-10-14T10:14:51Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":4,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":4},"description":"Company Overview\nVatn Systems is a leader in the development of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), delivering cutting-edge technology for underwater exploration, scientific research, and defense applications. Our innovative and dedicated team excels at tackling complex subsea challenges, consistently redefining possibilities in the field.\nJob Description\nAs a Senior/Principal Mechanical Design Engineer at Vatn, you will direct the mechanical architecture and design for our most complex AUV subsea systems from initial concept to final production. As a technical lead, you will tackle complex challenges related to high hydrostatic pressures, corrosive environments, strict weight and buoyancy budgets, and tight packaging of sensitive electronics. You will guide products through development, while mentoring junior engineers and collaborating closely with our electrical, software, and systems engineering teams. This design-driven position also requires a strong intuition of mechanical systems and deep expertise in engineering analysis. You will work hands-on across these domains while also raising the analytical bar for the broader mechanical engineering team.\nResponsibilities\nLead the mechanical design and development of complex subsea components, systems, and assemblies from concept through production.\nLead the full-lifecycle mechanical architecture of subsea platforms, encompassing hydrostatic pressure vessels, hydrodynamic fairings, structural chassis, and the integration of mission-critical payloads.\n Develop and maintain CAD models, detailed drawings, GD&T, and tolerance stack-ups that reflect analysis-driven design decisions.\nLead engineering analysis across the mechanical system, including structural, hydrostatic pressure housing design, and thermal analysis.\nCollaborate cross-functionally with electrical, software, and manufacturing teams to deliver manufacturable, reliable hardware.\nOversee prototyping, testing, and validation efforts, closing the loop between predicted and observed performance.\nSize and evaluate subsea propulsion systems, including thrust, power, and efficiency trade-offs specific to underwater operation.\nPerform battery sizing and packaging analysis, balancing energy density, thermal behavior, and mechanical integration constraints.\nDesign and analyze propellers, and optimize hydrodynamic bodies for drag, efficiency, and performance across operating conditions.\nServe as a technical mentor to the mechanical engineering team, building internal analysis capability in seal design, pressure systems, propulsion, and hydrodynamics.\nManage and prioritize multiple concurrent engineering efforts in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.\nQualifications\nBachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field (Master's or PhD preferred).\n5-8 years of mechanical engineering experience, with a significant and demonstrated focus on design analysis rather than design execution alone.\nStrong proficiency in CAD (SolidWorks preferred), including 3D modeling, assembly, and detailed drawing production.\nDrive the prototyping and validation lifecycle by creating comprehensive test protocols and spearheading hardware evaluation, spanning high-pressure hydrostatic environments, thermal characterization, and in-water performance.\nProven experience with static and dynamic seal design.\nExperience designing systems for hydrostatic pressure, including pressure housings and pressure-critical component analysis.\nExperience sizing propulsion systems, ideally in a subsea or marine context.\nExperience with the design and analysis of propellers.\nSolid foundation in core mechanical engineering principles: materials, mechanics, and manufacturing processes.\nFamiliarity with design analysis tools and techniques (e.g., FEA, CFD) strongly preferred - ANSYS Workbench or similar.\nExperience designing and building composite parts is a plus.\nExcellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to mentor and elevate the analytical capability of the broader team.\nDetail-oriented mindset with a focus on precision, rigor, and quality.\nAbility to thrive in a fast-paced startup environment with shifting priorities.\nVatn is an equal opportunity employer.","description_format":"text","description_chars":4230,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":5,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Naval Systems","Underwater & Marine Robotics"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-09T18:11:10Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":86,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.86,"p_room":1,"age_days":4,"expected_fill_days":38,"reasons":["conf:1","win:early"],"computed_at":"2026-10-14T06:34:16Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/vatn-senior-mechanical-design-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/vatn-senior-mechanical-design-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-14T11:32:26Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":13911,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-15T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":720699},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=720699"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fvatn-senior-mechanical-design-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fvatn-senior-mechanical-design-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fvatn-senior-mechanical-design-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/vatn-senior-mechanical-design-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fvatn-senior-mechanical-design-engineer"}]}