Job Description

Overview

The Mechanical Engineer III will work under limited supervision to design, develop, test, and analyze technical products and systems for the International Space Station and space exploration projects.

Responsibilities

  • Analyze requirements from the customer and develop design solutions.
  • Design, develop, test, handle implementation, and analysis of technical products and systems.
  • Perform engineering design evaluations.
  • Interface with customers to understand design goals in contract requirements.
  • Produce engineering drawings conforming to JPR 8500 and other applicable standards.
  • Perform dimensional fit tolerance analysis including thermal effects.
  • Perform functional analyses and sizing structural analyses when applicable.
  • Produce drawings conforming to ASME Y14.5 and support design with standard hand calculations.
  • Apply geometric tolerancing to facilitate manufacturing efficiency of components.
  • Prepare and present designs at design reviews using MS Word and PowerPoint.
  • Support hardware development through certification for flight.
  • Prepare non-conformance dispositions and engineering rationale for issue resolution.
  • Assess criticality and need for redundant systems.
  • Produce required design documentation such as assembly procedures, test reports, and engineering procedures.
  • Perform other duties as required.

Requirements

  • BS degree in engineering from an accredited engineering school and ten years of direct experience, or a MS degree and eight years of direct engineering experience, or PhD and four years of direct engineering experience.
  • Ability to produce drawings conforming to ASME Y14.5.
  • Experience performing dimensional fit tolerance analysis including thermal effects.
  • Understanding and experience with Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing.
  • Knowledge of properties of materials and processing.
  • Experience using solid modeling CAD software (Solidworks and/or Creo).
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills.
  • Working knowledge of machine shop processes and familiarity with structural and thermal analysis processes.
  • Candidate must be a U.S. Citizen.
  • Familiarity with Microsoft EXCEL, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Power Point, Military, NASA, and ANSI standards.

How this job compares in Houston, TX

Pay in context

This employer didn't publish a rate. For reference, welding jobs in Houston, TX currently run a median of $32/hr in our index, with the middle half of them falling between $23–$41/hr across 93 postings with published pay. That median is a reasonable floor to anchor on when a recruiter asks what you're looking for.

The local market in Houston, TX

We're tracking 344 other active welding openings in Houston, TX right now, from 194 different employers. 138 of them were added in the last week. Across Texas as a whole we're tracking 1,245 other active welding openings from 548 employers. A metro this active generally means you have real leverage — employers here are competing for the same welders. Browse every welding job in Houston, or widen the search to Texas.

The most active employers in Texas at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are Austin Industries (39), Zachry Group (30), and Welding Shop in Houston, TX (22). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Within Texas, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are Old Sixth Ward at $40/hr, Arlington at $39/hr, and Dallas at $36/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

Certifications this posting mentions

  • ASME Section IX — the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code qualification. It covers welding on pressure-retaining equipment — boilers, vessels, and process piping — where a failed weld is a safety incident rather than a rework ticket.

Read straight from this posting's text. Confirm the exact qualification the employer wants before you test — requirements vary by shop even under the same code.

Similar openings near Houston, TX

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Mechanical Engineer III figures were last recalculated when this page was built.