Mechanical Engineer Project Manager Jobs in Madison, AL

Overview: Nomad Global Communications Solutions is a leading provider of communication and response products serving a wide variety of customers. Our purpose is to be the solution when every minute matters. We seek a candidate that is self-inspired to learn and demonstrates a high degree of customer service while positively contributing to our team.

Mechanical Engineers (ME) work is a critical function in the engineering process, being responsible for taking designs from concept through full production documentation. Accuracy and completeness must be maintained through all levels of design to provide complete Bill of Materials (BOMs) and production worthy CAD models/ drawings to the manufacturing teams. All ME deliverables must meet or exceed Nomad Global Communication Solutions’ standards of excellence.

Mechanical Engineers must apply practical engineering science and technologies to designs. These include application of fluid mechanics, materials, structures, dynamics, basic electrical theory, and machine component design. Expertise in raw material selection, manufacturing processes (welding, machining, & sheet metal), quality control, and concentration on cost mitigation are also core required competencies.

Depending on level (I–V), Engineers progress from learning foundational engineering practices and supporting designs to independently leading complex platform architectures, mentoring others, and driving technical strategy across the organization.

Career Growth: Mechanical Engineers at Nomad GCS progress through five levels based on demonstrated technical mastery, independence, leadership, and impact. Advancement is supported through mentorship, project ownership, and alignment with Nomad’s Core Values.

Organizational Structure: Nomad Engineering is organized into Teams and Disciplines within the Innovative Solutions Division.

Teams:

• Team 1 (Standards and Modularity): Builds and maintains engineering standards, modules, templates, and rules enabling repeatability and scale.
• Team 2 (Design): Executes project-level engineering using established standards and less complex custom configurations.
• Team 3 (Advanced): Develops novel systems and resolves first-of-kind engineering challenges.
• Team 4 (Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering): Ensures manufacturability, safety, engineering intent, efficiency, and continuous improvement throughout Production.
• Mechanical Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Software Engineering

A Mechanical Engineer may be temporarily assigned to one or more of the four Teams. These teams include Standards & Modularity, Design Engineering, Advanced Engineering, and/or Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering.

Core Responsibilities – All Levels:

• Design, develop, and support mechanical systems for Nomad vehicles and platforms.
• Ensure designs comply with applicable codes, safety standards, and customer requirements.
• Support manufacturing by answering technical questions, resolving build issues, and improving design clarity.
• Participate in design reviews, testing, validation, and root cause analysis.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with other Engineering disciplines, Production, Quality, and Project Management teams.
• Apply continuous improvement principles to improve product quality, reliability, and manufacturability.
• Uphold and model Nomad Core Values in all work.
• Create CAD documentation for projects, including top levels assemblies, sub-assemblies, and parts.
• Use FEA to analyze designs: determine stress, create tests to verify results, document analysis, and change designs as needed to optimize.
• Create, implement, supervise, and document tests verifying designs meet customer requirements.
• Complete all analyses, documentation, and drawings required for Production within established time frames as agreed upon by the Operations Team.
• Communicate with vendors and clients to troubleshoot designs, get information on new designs, and obtain specifications/drawings/models of components.
• Track and record work hours for each specific project daily.
• Be willing to travel as needed by Management.
• Perform additional duties as assigned.

Mechanical Engineer l – Entry / Developing

• Support senior engineers with design tasks and documentation.
• Exposure to product lifecycle phases (design, build, test, or release).
• Create and update CAD models and drawings (both revision & new creation).
• Learn Nomad standards, drawing conventions, and design processes.
• Familiarity with standard Nomad engineering equipment under guidance.
• Assist with prototype builds, testing, and validation activities.
• Experience following established procedures, checklists, and engineering change processes.
• Respond to basic manufacturing questions with guidance.
• Demonstrate ability to incorporate feedback and correct design/ documentation errors.
• Develop foundational knowledge of mechanical systems and product platform architecture.
• Work under close supervision while building technical competence and confidence.
• Academic or project-based experience applying fundamental mechanical theory to real hardware.
• BS in Mechanical Engineering or related field
• 0-2 years Mechanical Engineering experience.

Progression signal: Learns quickly, demonstrates technical competency, reduces rework, and increasingly completes tasks correctly on the first pass.

Mechanical Engineer ll – Independent Contributor

• Independently design mechanical subsystems and assemblies for assigned projects.
• Experience owning mechanical design tasks end-to-end for small to mid-sized subsystems.
• Create complete, production-ready drawings and documentation.
• Hands-on involvement with prototype builds and failure investigation.
• Experience releasing designs to manufacturing and supporting early production.
• Regular application of codes, standards, and best practices with minimal oversight in designs.
• Support manufacturing troubleshooting and resolve moderate design issues.
• Participate actively in design reviews and cross-functional collaboration.
• Perform basic system-level testing and validation.
• Demonstrate consistent quality, organization, and accountability in deliverables.
• Demonstrated ability to estimate effort, manage priorities, and meet engineering schedules.
• Effective written and verbal communication with manufacturing, supply chain, and peers.

Progression signal: Can be trusted to deliver correct, manufacturable designs without close supervision.

Mechanical Engineer lll – Advanced Contributor

• Lead mechanical design for complete systems or major subsystems.
• Ownership of system-level trade studies (cost, performance, safety, reliability).
• Troubleshoot complex mechanical issues and lead root cause analysis efforts, including leading technical problem-solving during production or field failures.
• Experience reviewing and approving other engineers’ designs.
• Optimize designs for manufacturability, serviceability, and cost.
• Mentor Mechanical Engineer I–II team members on technical and process topics.
• Interface directly with customers, suppliers, or regulatory bodies as needed.
• Demonstrate strong technical judgment and cross-functional leadership.
• Demonstrated system-level ownership.
• BS in Mechanical Engineering or related field
• 5-8 years Mechanical Engineering experience.

Progression signal: Regularly anticipates issues before they occur and raises the technical bar for the team.

Mechanical Engineer IV – Senior Technical Lead

• Own mechanical system architecture across multiple product lines or platforms.
• Set design standards, guidelines, and best practices for the organization.
• Experience defining system architectures reused across multiple products or programs.
• Lead high-risk or highly complex engineering efforts from concept through production.
• Deep familiarity with compliance, certification, and safety-critical design processes.
• Ownership of technical decision-making where failure would have significant cost or safety impact.
• Experience balancing competing constraints (schedule, cost, performance, manufacturability).
• Drive design decisions impacting safety, reliability, compliance, and scalability.
• Serve as a primary technical authority for mechanical systems at Nomad GCS.
• Coach and mentor engineers across all levels.
• Influence engineering strategy, tooling, and long-term technical direction.
• Recognized internally as a go-to expert for complex engineering challenges.
• Demonstrated technical mastery.
• BS in Mechanical Engineering or related field
• 8-12+ years advanced Mechanical Engineering experience.

Progression signal: Others rely on this engineer’s judgment to make irreversible or high-impact decisions.

Mechanical Engineer V – Principal Strategic Leader

• Define and evolve Nomad’s long-term mechanical engineering strategy.
• Lead cross-disciplinary technical initiatives spanning engineering, manufacturing, and product strategy.
• Serve as the highest-level technical authority for mechanical systems and integration.
• Drive innovation, technology adoption, and platform-level design evolution.
• Demonstrated impact on long-term platform, technology, or architectural direction.
• Experience leading multi-year technical initiatives with cross-functional dependency.
• Proven ability to evaluate and adopt new technologies aligned with business strategy.
• Mentor senior engineers and develop future technical leaders.
• Represent Nomad GCS in high-level customer, partner, or industry engagements.
• Balance deep technical contribution with organizational leadership and influence.
• Ability to translate business objectives into technical roadmaps and execution plans.
• BS in Mechanical Engineering or related field
• 12+ years experience with organizational technical leadership.

Progression signal: Shapes what the organization builds next—not just how it builds today.

Basic Knowledge Progression:

• Level l: Foundational understanding of mechanical theory, documentation, and standards.
• Level ll: Strong working knowledge of systems, codes, and manufacturing support.
• Level lll: System-level expertise and troubleshooting mastery.
• Level lV: Platform-level architecture and technical leadership.
• Level V: Enterprise-level strategy, innovation, and mentorship.

Experience and Skills

Qualifications:

• Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field preferred. Degree must be ABET accredited.
• Must have CAD experience. SolidWorks preferred.

Physical Demands:

• Ability to stand and sit for extended periods.
• Manual dexterity to operate office equipment.
• Occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds.
• Occasional climbing or hands-on testing activities.
• Ability to work in office, shop, and vehicle environments as needed.
• Ability to work safely around energized systems when required.
• Must be able to travel as needed on occasion.
• Combination of office, production floor, and vehicle-based environments.
• Exposure to manufacturing noise, electrical/ manufacturing equipment, and testing environments.
• PPE required when entering production or testing areas.
• Life/ADD & Short/Long Term Disability Insurance
• 401(k) Savings Plan
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP)
• Paid Time-Off (PTO)
• Holidays
• Education Reimbursement

Kratos Defense is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race,color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, genetic information, disability, status as aprotected veteran, or any other protected category under applicable federal, state, and local laws.

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