At Areté, we are on the forefront of utilizing innovative solutions, with great minds from all backgrounds, to help solve the nation’s most complex security challenges. We strive for an inclusive, collaborative team environment that approaches differences as opportunities for innovation and excellence. As an employee-owned company, we foster an atmosphere that propels diverse career opportunities and professional growth.
Discover your future with us.
Our Falls Church, VA office has an immediate opening for a Mechanical Engineer. This is an exempt, non-supervisory, full-time position.
Primary responsibilities:
- Develop system specifications / requirements
- Conceptual design of custom mechanical components / component selection
- Prepares calculations, models, and simulations to predict mechanical system performance
- Supports or runs design reviews / technical briefings as required
- Create detailed drawings for manufacture
- Generate assembly drawings / instructions
- Coordinate quoting process / fabrication support
- Generate assembly and test documentation / procedures / fixtures as required.
- Assemble and test systems
- Support lab and field test experiments
- Travel typically 10-20%
We have an impressive range of benefits, programs, and perks that we offer:
Health & Wellness:
- Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance
- Life and Long-Term Disability (LTD)
- Vision Reimbursement
- Fitness Reimbursement
Financial:
- Company-funded 5% contribution to your 401(k) retirement plan
- Company-funded 5% contribution to your Employee Stock Ownership Plan
- Continuing Education Assistance
Work-Life Balance:
- Flexible Scheduling
- Paid Time Off (PTO)
- Paid Parental and Bereavement Leave
What We Value:
- Creativity and innovation in solving challenges
- Integrity and responsibility in all actions
- Collaboration across teams and specialties
- Responsiveness in fast-paced environments
- Passion for national security and excellence
Experiences and Background We Look For (Required Skills):
- BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering, Marine Engineering, or equivalent
- Experience with CAD software (Creo preferred)
- Experience with FEA software (ANSYS preferred)
- Comfortable in a hands-on general machine shop environment (operation of machine shop equipment is a plus)
- Ability to implement hardware solutions
- Proficient use of standard MS Office software (Word, PowerPoint, Excel)
- Able to obtain a security clearance (current security clearance is preferred)
- Able to support outdoor field tests, lab assembly, test and integration hands-on tasking, occasional lifting of hardware as required, occasional travel
Nice to have (Preferred Skills):
- Experience with designing, building, or testing undersea or airborne systems is a plus
- Experience and continued interest in robotics or mechatronic systems
- Experience with UUV’s or AUV’s
- Python or Arduino experience
- Comfortable in adapting to support a wide variety of roles to support different types of development projects
- Intellectual curiosity and desire for continuous learning
- Skilled and innovative problem solver
- Works well independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team
- Strong work ethic
- Detail oriented
- Independently perform research of available literature to fill in knowledge gaps as needed
The salary range for this role is $84,000 to $115,000; however, Arete considers several factors when extending an offer of employment, including but not limited to: the position and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills.
Other Considerations
Areté is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity and nondiscrimination, and we believe every person has the right to be treated with fairness, dignity, and equal consideration.
Areté is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.
U.S. citizenship is required to meet position eligibility.
Successful passage of a criminal background screen is required to meet position eligibility.
Selected applicants will be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.
Areté will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring.
Successful passage of a Department of Transportation (DOT) drug test is required to meet position eligibility.
If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you have the right to request an accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access our website because of your disability. To request an accommodation, please contact Areté Human Resources at 818-885-2200 for assistance.
Skills Required
- Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Marine Engineering, or an equivalent field
- Experience with CAD software; Creo preferred
- Experience with FEA software; ANSYS preferred
- Comfort working hands-on in a general machine shop environment
- Ability to implement hardware solutions
- Proficiency with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel
- Ability to obtain a security clearance; current clearance preferred
- Ability to support outdoor field tests, laboratory assembly, testing, integration, occasional hardware lifting, and travel
- Experience designing, building, or testing undersea or airborne systems
- Experience with robotics or mechatronic systems
- Experience with UUVs or AUVs
- Python or Arduino experience
- Ability to adapt across varied development projects and work independently and collaboratively
- Ability to independently research technical literature to address knowledge gaps
What We Do
Areté, an employee-owned company, is an advanced science and engineering company that provides innovative solutions to the most challenging technical problems faced by the United States Defense and Intelligence agencies. Areté is derived from the Greek word “ἀρέτη”, meaning the pursuit of excellence and the achievement of maximum performance. Areté was founded in 1976 by five scientists, tasked by the DoD to help solve the challenge of detecting weak signals in heavy clutter over very wide areas. The signatures involved in this work were so weak that any advancement in signal processing algorithms demanded a new approach and understanding of the underlying fundamentals affecting the sensors and signal phenomena in the environments of interest. This first-principles-of-physics approach has been a hallmark of Areté’s development programs for the past 40 years Areté now works across the electromagnetic spectrum. We develop sensors and the associated signal processing algorithms necessary for the extraction and interpretation of data for systems operating under water, in the atmosphere, and in space. With our emphasis on enhanced signal processing and real-time executable software, Areté is able to improve the performance of existing sensor systems at fractions of the cost and time to operations of replacement systems. We work directly with customers and partners seeking maximum performance. Building on our expertise in detection theory we will continue to exploit the contextual, spatial, spectral, and temporal characteristics of data, incorporating them into our signal processing algorithms. These robust algorithms will continue to enable Areté to rapidly deliver innovative solutions to the ever evolving challenges of our customers.
