Mechanical Systems Engineer III- 26-BTG-959

Bird is recognized as the expert in RF communications, measurement and management providing innovative RF products, systems, services and educational solutions to the wireless industry. Our employees enjoy working for a privately owned manufacturing business where their contributions make a great impact. Bird offers a competitive wage/benefit package, including medical/dental/vision, basic life, short term and long term disability, paid parental leave, 401K, tuition assistance, and gainshare bonus.  

Position Summary:

Responsible for the mechanical design, thermal management, and systems-level development of RF and electronic products from concept through production. The Mechanical Systems Engineer applies engineering principles in thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, and structural analysis to develop innovative, reliable, and manufacturable products. This role performs analytical modeling, develops and validates prototypes through laboratory testing, and collaborates across electrical, manufacturing, quality, and product engineering teams to deliver practical engineering solutions that optimize performance, reliability, manufacturability, and cost..

GENERAL FUNCTIONS / SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES: 

•    Promote the Bird Family Values through your actions – Trust, Innovation, Teamwork, Achievement and Accountability. 

•    Be able to describe the quality policy and goals, your contribution to quality, and the effects of not observing quality and customer requirements. 

•    Perform thermal, fluid flow, and heat transfer analyses for RF and electronic products using analytical calculations and computational modeling. 

•    Develop thermal resistance networks and system-level thermal models to predict component temperatures and product performance. 

•    Evaluate cooling strategies including heat sinks, heat spreaders, vapor chambers, thermal interface materials, and enclosure airflow. 

•    Collaborate with electrical engineers to establish component power dissipation budgets and thermal design requirements. 

•    Correlate simulation results with laboratory testing and refine models based on empirical data. 

•    Perform structural FEA to ensure thermal expansion, vibration, and mechanical stresses remain within design limits. 

•    Design mechanical components, assemblies, and enclosures for RF and electronic products. 

•    Develop detailed CAD models, engineering drawings, and Bills of Material. 

•    Support prototype builds, production releases, and sustaining engineering activities. 

•    Participate in design reviews and cross-functional product development teams.

•    Perform mechanical, thermal, and fluid-system design reviews and drive technical issues to closure.

•    Support Design for Manufacturability (DFM), Design for Assembly (DFA), and Design for Reliability (DFR) throughout product development. 

•    Prepare engineering reports documenting modeling assumptions, simulation methodology, validation results, and design recommendations.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS REQUIRED:

•    Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Physics or equivalent. Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering or Physics preferred.

•    Five or more years of mechanical product design experience, 10+ years preferred.  

•    Strong understanding of thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, and thermal management of electronic systems.

•    Experience designing mechanical systems for high-reliability applications with consideration for shock, vibration, thermal loading, environmental conditions, manufacturability, and long-term product reliability.

•    Experience developing analytical engineering models and validating them through laboratory testing. 

•    Experience with thermal interface materials, heat sinks, airflow optimization, and enclosure cooling. 

•    Experience applying systems engineering principles to optimize mechanical, thermal, electrical, manufacturing, and reliability tradeoffs during product development.

•    Proficiency with 3D CAD modeling and engineering documentation using Solid Edge, SolidWorks, or equivalent software.

•    Demonstrated hands-on mechanical aptitude, including prototype assembly, testing, troubleshooting, and design validation.

DESIRED SKILLS/KNOWLEDGE/COMPETENCIES (Applicants may be considered even if they do not possess any or all of these):

•    Ability to operate computer and keyboard. Able to use phone; communicate using speech; hearing and vision skills; sit or stand for moderate periods. 

•    Experience with liquid-cooled RF, power-electronic, industrial, or laboratory measurement equipment. 

•    Experience developing and validating system-level thermal and fluid models, including heat-transfer analysis, uncertainty evaluation, and calibration methodologies. 

•    Experience with precision temperature, flow, and pressure measurement systems. 

•    Familiarity with silicone oils, dielectric fluids, glycol mixtures, and other specialized heat-transfer fluids. 

•    Experience selecting and integrating pumps, valves, heat exchangers, flowmeters, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, and fluid-control components. 

•    Experience with material compatibility, corrosion prevention, contamination control, and long-term fluid-system reliability. 

•    Experience using MATLAB, Python, or equivalent tools for engineering analysis and test-data reduction. 

•    Experience with DFMEA, fault-tree analysis, reliability testing, and design-margin verification. 

•    Experience supporting machining, sheet metal, tubing, welding, brazing, sealing, and electromechanical assembly suppliers. 

•    Experience with one or more commercial engineering simulation platforms (e.g., ANSYS Fluent, Icepak, FloTHERM, COMSOL Multiphysics, SimScale, SolidWorks Flow Simulation, or equivalent) aka CFD to evaluate natural convection, forced-air cooling, liquid cooling, and environmental operating conditions.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Ability to operate test equipment related to job.  Able to use phone; communicate using speech; hearing and vision skills; sit or stand for moderate periods.

EEO/M/F/VET/DISABILITY EMPLOYER

Bird Technologies is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, disability, genetic information, citizenship status, or membership in any other group protected by federal, state or local law.