
Mechanical Engineer at Albacore (Philadelphia, PA)
Albacore· Philadelphia, PA·
Role details
Work type
Onsite
Employment
Full-Time
Job description
Role Description:
- Design and develop mechanical systems for underwater vehicles, contributing to structural layouts, pressure housings, propulsion integration, and subsystem packaging.
- Work across the full development cycle from concept and analysis through fabrication, integration, and testing, applying a strong first-principles engineering mindset to solve complex design problems.
- Collaborate closely with electrical, software, and systems engineers to integrate propulsion, sensing, power, and payload subsystems into robust electromechanical systems.
- Design and fabricate custom hardware, fixtures, and test infrastructure to enable component validation, system integration, and field evaluation.
- Support hands-on build, assembly, and debugging of prototypes, driving rapid iteration and continuous improvement in system performance, reliability, and manufacturability.
Required Qualifications:
- B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical Engineering or related technical field.
- 1–7 years of experience designing and building mechanical or electromechanical systems.
- Proficiency with CAD tools (SolidWorks preferred) and experience producing clear engineering documentation, including drawings and tolerance specifications.
- Experience with structural design, material selection, sealing strategies, and environmental considerations such as pressure, vibration, and corrosion.
- Hands-on experience with prototyping, fabrication, assembly, and mechanical troubleshooting.
- Experience working in multidisciplinary engineering environments with electrical and software teams.
- Strong first-principles engineering mindset and practical design approach.
- U.S. work authorization and ability to obtain a security clearance.
Why work at Albacore
- High-impact defense mission: Directly contribute to national security and maritime defense with a young, mission-driven team
- Early-stage ownership: Join post-seed, pre-scale startup (25 employees) where engineers have outsized influence on product and architecture
- Location: Based in Philadelphia, PA
- Open roles: Mechanical Engineer, Software Engineer, Electrical Engineer (plus past openings for Powertrain Engineer, Forward Deployed Engineer, Head of Supply Chain, and internships)
- Technical culture: Hands-on work spanning robotics, AI, propulsion, battery systems, manufacturing, and defense contracting — a broad, fast-paced engineering environment
- Backing: Y Combinator-backed with meaningful seed funding to support growth