Mechanical Engineering Intern (Summer 2027)

Overview

The Mechanical Design Engineering Intern works alongside our design team to develop flight hardware for new and existing airframes. You will own a scoped hardware project from concept through prototype and test, with a dedicated mentor and daily access to the engineers responsible for the systems around you. Your summer will consist of designing, analyzing, and building fluid and structural components, and learning how customer level requirements translate into parts that get built and qualified.

This is not a shadowing program. Interns at Amca ship hardware. You should expect your work to be reviewed with the same rigor as a full-time engineer's, and to see your parts on the bench before you leave.

Responsibilities

• Design and prototype mechanical hardware under the guidance of a mentor engineer
  • Contribute to avionics hardware (buttons, switches, dials), flow control devices (valves, regulators, solenoids), or mechanisms (actuators, pistons)
  • Question requirements, look for simplification, and help accelerate component deliveries
• Generate and maintain detailed drawings, component specifications, and supporting analysis
  • We believe design engineers should perform their own concept design, technical analysis, and first unit builds, and we hold interns to the same expectation at an appropriate scope
• Support root cause investigations arising in development, production, and test, and help implement corrective actions
• Build and test your own prototypes in our in-house R&D lab
• Work with test engineering to help define and execute qualification plans for the components you own
• Work with build engineers to understand manufacturability constraints and incorporate DFM feedback into your designs
• Present your project and results to the engineering team at the end of the internship

Basic Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in a Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD program in aerospace engineering, manufacturing engineering, materials engineering, mechanical engineering, or engineering physics
• Returning to school in Fall 2027, or graduating in Spring 2027 and interested in a full-time role
• Completed coursework in thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, or solid mechanics, and a working understanding of engineering first principles
• Hands-on design, analysis, or build experience through coursework, a student project team, personal projects, or a prior internship

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience on a student project team building physical hardware, such as rocketry, Formula SAE, Baja, or a design build fly team
• Familiarity with GD&T concepts
• Experience with Siemens NX, SolidWorks, or a similar CAD package
• Exposure to finite element analysis (FEA) software
• Experience designing, building, testing, and troubleshooting mechanical systems
• Familiarity with pressurized components (valves, regulators, tubes, pipes)
• Experience using test instrumentation and control components such as pressure transducers, thermocouples, resistance temperature detectors, relays, and solenoid valves
• Machine shop, welding, or fabrication experience
• Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills, enthusiasm for problem solving, and interest in modern aerospace production and design

Additional Requirements

• This internship is on-site in El Segundo, California, five days a week.
• Occasional travel to vendors or other Amca sites may be required