Lead Mechanical Engineer

Job Type

Full-time

Description

Company:

SG Investment America, Inc. dba ICON Aircraft is a consumer airplane manufacturer founded in response to the creation of the sport flying category by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Given these enabling regulations, ICON’s mission is to reinvent personal flying by providing consumer-friendly, safe, technologically advanced aircraft that allow the freedom, fun, and adventure of flying to be more accessible to mainstream consumers. ICON’s long-term vision is the democratization of personal flight and 3-D mobility.

ICON’s first aircraft is the A5, an amphibious sport plane that fuses outstanding aeronautical engineering with world-class product design and unprecedented safety features. The A5 is the world’s first production aircraft that is spin-resistant, an engineering feat that allows it to stand alone in its class. With more than 190 aircraft located throughout the United States and overseas, the ICON A5 is one of the most recognizable and advanced light sport aircraft in General Aviation. It has won some of the world’s most prestigious design awards while inspiring a global following. ICON is headquartered in Vacaville, CA, 50 miles northeast of San Francisco, with offices in Tampa, FL and Tijuana, B.C, MX. For more information, visit www.iconaircraft.com.

Mission of Role: To design, prototype, test, and validate mechanisms for the ICON A5.

Location: Vacaville, CA

Reports to: Director, Engineering

Primary Areas of Responsibilities:

• Design mechanical parts and mechanisms from concept or preliminary design through detail design to release production-ready parts
• Design using various manufacturing methods for metals, i.e. stamping, machining, welding
• Design using various manufacturing methods for polymers, i.e. injection molding, 3D printing, roto-molded, etc.
• Work on aircraft flight controls, landing gear, doors, windows, and related mechanical components
• Design using Creo (Pro/E) CAD software for solid modeling
• Use Windchill PDMLink to manage lifecycle aircraft components and assemblies
• Sizing for strength using preliminary hand calculations and FEA simulations
• Sustaining designs and providing support to the production line
• Key asset for R&D of upcoming projects
• Mentoring of junior engineers
• Leadership of larger scale design projects
  
  

Success Indicators:

• Development of manufacturable designs which require minimal re-work
• Has effectively been a team player and contributed to the development of ICON products
  
  

Requirements

Preferred Experience & Education:

• BS or MS in Mechanical and/or Aerospace Engineering
• 5+ years full time CAD experience, preferably Creo (Pro/E)
• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite, specifically Excel
• Experience designing to standards outlined by the FAA, ASTM, and/or CFR
• Experience selecting materials used in corrosive environments
• Experience selecting materials for optimal strength, cost, and availability
• Experience designing mechanical parts and mechanisms
• Experience designing with various manufacturing methods using metals, such as stamping, machining, welding, injection molding, composites
• Experience performing hand calculations and Finite Element Analysis
• Experience validating designs via hands-on prototype testing
• Experience processing bench and flight test data
• Experience with hands-on machining is a plus
• Experience with test instruments such as strain gauges and accelerometers are a plus
• Experience with Arduino/RasPi/LabVIEW/Octave is a plus
• Aviation and powersports enthusiast
  
  

Ideal Experience:

• 8+ years of experience designing mechanical components for composite light aircraft using Creo (Pro/E)
• Experience with aircraft flight controls
• Experience with aircraft landing gear and electronic linear actuators
• Experience with aircraft propulsion installation or experience in automotive systems, particularly those involving mechanical systems such as suspension, steering, cooling systems, hinges and latches, or engine integration
  
  

Other Traits:

• Highly intelligent - Analytical and problem solver
• Clear communicator
• Well organized and structured thinker
• Extreme attention to detail
• Collaborative
• Confident
• Able to mix experience and knowledge of best practices with out-of-the-box thinking and innovate solutions
• Relentless drive and enthusiasm to fulfill project commitments and meet deadlines
• Entrepreneurially minded (more startup, less big aerospace / corporate)
  
  

Physical Requirements:

• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer
• Lifting no more than 15 lbs. as may be needed