--- title: 'Mechanical Test Engineer at Amca' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/mechanical-test-engineer-amca-el-segundo-q5ct8j0tvv9y' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-07' --- # Mechanical Test Engineer at Amca - **Company:** Amca - **Location:** El Segundo, CA - **Compensation:** $100k–$130k - **Posted:** 2026-04-21 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-07 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/amca/jobs/4227277009 ## Job description Amca is building America’s new industrial base. Since the 1990s, our ability to build new aviation and military systems and maintain the ones we already have has eroded. Today, the gap between what the nation needs to produce and what it is capable of producing is the largest it has been in generations. To help close that gap, Amca rapidly develops and manufactures new critical components and subsystems required to build and sustain the planes, military vehicles, and core infrastructure America needs. Today, we operate seven factories nationwide, including our advanced prototyping and testing headquarters in El Segundo, and deliver avionics, hydraulic, and electrical components for platforms such as the F-35, F-16, F/A-18, 737MAX, 787, A320neo, A321, Mk-48, and M1 Abrams. Overview: The Mechanical Test Engineering role is responsible for owning the testing procedures used to prove new designs are fit to fly. You will serve as the extreme owner for qualification tests that are run at our in-house R&D shop during hardware development, and the acceptance testing that is run at our factories to ensure every unit produced is high quality and functional. Your day will consist of developing tooling, bringing new state-of-the-art production assets online, and assisting design engineers in root cause analysis for qualification campaigns. Responsibilities: - Develop test methodology in accordance with industry standards to ensure all hardware is qualified to fly - Develop, qualify, and refine test processes to bring products from prototype to high-volume production - Trade purchasing commercial test capabilities off the shelf against designing and developing the capabilities in house - Act as the extreme owner of the test stands, whether that is designing new test stands or developing procedures and criteria for existing infrastructure - Ideate and implement tooling and custom test solutions, enabling high-quality build of Amca hardware - Identify, plan, and execute capital equipment, machine, and layout upgrades to meet changing needs - Partner with engineering and production teams to generate ideas, designs, and improvements for current and next-generation vehicles - Assist design engineers in guiding new designs from concepts to qualified, production-capable aerospace components - Prototype new components at our in-house R&D lab. You will be expected to be intimately involved with any prototype development - Set the standard for rigorous component design and qualification testing. As a member of an early-stage startup, you will be integral in defining company design and testing policies Basic Qualifications: - Bachelor's or advanced degree in aerospace engineering, manufacturing engineering, materials engineering, mechanical engineering or engineering physics - 1+ years of engineering experience in manufacturing, design, test, or development (internship and project team experience is applicable) - Strong understanding of engineering first principles, specifically with regards to thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, and solid mechanics Preferred Skills and Experience: - Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills, enthusiasm for problem solving, and desire to optimize modern aerospace production and design processes - 2+ years of professional experience in the field of aerospace/mechanical engineering - 2+ years of experience with GD&T concepts - Strong project management skills and effective communication of technical concepts across multi-disciplinary teams - Experience with the building and testing of fluid and/or electrical systems - Experience with the build and test of pneumatic, hydraulic, and structural assemblies - Experience with scientific computer science languages (Python, MATLAB, or similar) - Experience with Siemens NX or other similar CAD package - Experience using test instrumentation and control components (e.g. pressure transducers, thermocouples, resistance temperature detectors, relays, solenoid valves, etc.) Additional Requirements: - Travel to vendors and other Amca sites as needed - Able to work flexible hours and occasional weekend support as needed Annual Salary Range $100,000—$130,000 USD This position requires use of information which is subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). All applicants must be U.S. persons within the meaning of ITAR. ITAR defines a US person as: any individual who is granted U.S. citizenship; or. any individual who is granted U.S. permanent residence ("Green Card" holder); or. any individual who is granted status as a "protected person" under 8 U.S.C 1324b(a)(3). The Advanced Manufacturing Company of America prohibits discrimination or harassment based on the following categories: race, color, religion, religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), national origin, ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition (including cancer and genetic characteristics), genetic information, marital status, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), gender, gender identity, gender expression, age (40 years and over), sexual orientation, veteran and/or military status, protected medical leaves (requesting or approved for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act or the California Family Rights Act), domestic violence victim status, political affiliation, and any other status protected by state or federal law. ## About Amca ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Amca (Advanced Manufacturing Company of America) integrates design, rapid prototyping, qualification, and AS9100D-certified production to deliver critical aerospace and defense components in weeks instead of years. - **Entity Type**: Private (Seed stage; $76.5M total funding) - **Headquarters**: El Segundo, California, United States - **Founded**: 2024 - **Founders**: Jai Malik (CEO & Co-Founder), Eli Giovanetti (COO & Co-Founder); Varun Gupta serves as Chairman ## Core Business - **Primary industries**: Aerospace and defense component manufacturing; avionics, hydraulics, electrical systems. - **Target customers**: B2B / Enterprise – primes such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Airbus, and U.S. military sustainment programs. Platforms include F-35, F-16, F/A-18, 737MAX, 787, A320, M1 Abrams, and more. - **Mission / purpose**: Build America’s new industrial base – faster, distributed, and multi-sourced – to increase competition and capacity for every class of critical component. ## Products & Services - **Integrated Manufacturing System**: A unified workflow that combines rapid prototyping, software-enabled testing, qualification, and certified production across a network of AS9100D-certified factories. *Type: Service / Manufacturing-as-a-Service* - **Component Lines**: A growing portfolio of parts and subsystems across avionics, hydraulics, and electrical systems. Products are flying on platforms such as the F-35, 737, A320, and Patriot Missile. *Type: Hardware (Manufactured components)* - **Acquired Legacy Factories**: Amca has acquired several established manufacturers (e.g., Payne Magnetics, Electrocube, Cal-Draulics, Aerospace Control Products, Electro-Mech Components) to fold their capabilities into its integrated system. *Type: Acquisition-led capacity expansion* ## Market Standing - **Valuation / Market Cap**: Not disclosed - **Key Metric**: Total Funding – $76.5M (Seed round, May 2025, led by Caffeinated Capital) - **Notable Investors / Partners**: Caffeinated Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Andreessen Horowitz, Lux Capital, Founders Fund - **Growth Signals**: - Headcount: 32 employees ( +309.1% YoY, +7.1% monthly growth) - Active job postings: 24 ( +71.4% monthly, +500% quarterly) - Acquired six legacy manufacturing companies since inception (2024–2025) - Supplies components for major defense platforms (F-35, F-16, F/A-18, M1 Abrams) and commercial aircraft (737, 787, A320) ## Competitive Advantages - **Integrated single system** – Combines design, prototyping, qualification, and production under one roof, eliminating the years-long silos of traditional suppliers. - **Speed to production** – Can move from requirement to manufactured components within weeks, compared to typical multi-year timelines. - **AS9100D-certified factory network** – Provides certified production capacity that is flexible and scalable, with dedicated lines for specific components. - **Multi-sourcing & domestic resilience** – Reduces single-source dependence and builds a distributed U.S. industrial base. ## Strategic Focus - Continue acquiring and integrating legacy aerospace/defense suppliers to broaden component classes and production capacity. - Expand engineering and manufacturing talent to support new platform wins and sustainment programs. - Scale the “integrated manufacturing system” model to become the default partner for critical component production in the U.S. defense and commercial aerospace sectors. ## Why Work Here - **High ownership & rapid promotion** – The company emphasizes “unreasonably high degree of ownership” and fast career advancement for top performers. - **Small, mission-driven team** – Currently 32 employees, with a culture of honest communication and full ownership of domains. - **Office environment** – Described as “one of the most beautiful offices anywhere in the country” (El Segundo, CA). Hybrid/remote policy not explicitly stated; headquarters are in El Segundo with additional offices in Dallas, TX. - **Engineering culture** – Staff come from SpaceX, Anduril, Saronic, and other top aerospace/defense companies; 36% of employees in technical roles. - **Impact** – Everything built goes on planes that millions of people fly on, and on military platforms that protect national security. ## Sources 1. [amca.com – Who We Are](https://www.amca.com/who-we-are) 2. [amca.com – Our Products](https://www.amca.com/our-products) 3. [amca.com – Careers](https://www.amca.com/careers) 4. [careers.amca.com – Amca Careers](https://careers.amca.com/) 5. [LinkedIn – Amca Company Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/company/amcainc) ## Other roles at Amca - [Electrical Engineering Internship (Summer 2027)](https://feeny.ai/job/electrical-engineering-internship-summer-2027-amca-el-segundo-1m966f9z3yq3) — El Segundo, CA - [Mechanical Engineering Intern (Summer 2027)](https://feeny.ai/job/mechanical-engineering-intern-summer-2027-amca-el-segundo-w204p39feyv8) — El Segundo, CA - [Lead Test Engineer (Fluids and Mechanical Systems)](https://feeny.ai/job/lead-test-engineer-fluids-and-mechanical-systems-amca-el-segundo-76w1v3pwmvzq) — El Segundo, CA - [Senior Supply Chain Planner](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-supply-chain-planner-amca-el-segundo-mfjqm74jr99s) — El Segundo, CA - [Supply Chain Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/supply-chain-engineer-amca-el-segundo-gf43qa1k34k0) — El Segundo, CA - [Program Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/program-manager-amca-el-segundo-n5rayf5m7x9y) — El Segundo, CA - [Head of Operations, ACPI](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-operations-acpi-amca-davenport-iowa-axkfjfx3gd4k) — Davenport Iowa, United States - [Software Engineer, Product](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-product-amca-el-segundo-a763ncg4q7xq) — El Segundo, CA - [Lead Electrical Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/lead-electrical-engineer-amca-el-segundo-g6dyjmt2xzfw) — El Segundo, CA - [Industry Solutions Analyst](https://feeny.ai/job/industry-solutions-analyst-amca-el-segundo-g3qg1rnf7mxg) — El Segundo, CA