Mechanical Test Engineer

Mechanical Test Engineer in Waller, Texas.

Do you enjoy answering complex engineering questions through hands-on testing, data analysis, and real-world experimentation?

Are you the type of engineer who would rather build a test, collect the data, and find the answer than debate the theory?

As a Test Engineer at SES, you’ll turn complex questions into meaningful data. This role blends mechanical engineering fundamentals with hands-on testing and system operation in a dynamic, industrial laboratory environment. You’ll plan and execute custom tests, design fixtures and methods, instrument hardware, collect high-quality data, and transform results into clear, actionable insights.

Projects span transportation systems, aerospace components, oil and gas equipment, industrial processes, mechanical and electrical systems, and engineering materials. The common thread: understanding how a system is supposed to perform, and proving whether it actually does.

What Success Looks Like
Successful Test Engineers at Stress are adaptable problem solvers who thrive in both independent and collaborative environments. You’re hands-on, mechanically curious, and comfortable working with electro-mechanical systems, instrumentation, and multiple sensor types. You can safely navigate a heavy industrial lab setting, juggle competing priorities, and keep projects moving forward, even when tests don’t go as planned.

Strong communication skills are essential. You’ll routinely interact with teammates and clients, translating technical details into clear verbal explanations and well-written test methods and reports. Experience in regulated or safety-critical industries (aerospace, transportation, oil and gas, etc.) is a plus. Depending on your experience, you may also take the lead on managing projects, interfacing directly with clients, and guiding the work of other engineers and technicians.

Qualifications

Required Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Materials Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline required
• Master's degree in Engineering preferred, or 5+ years of relevant testing, validation, or product development experience
• Demonstrated experience planning, executing, and documenting engineering tests in laboratory, field, or industrial environments

• Due to the nature of the work performed and access to ITAR-controlled technical data, candidates must qualify as a U.S. Person under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), as defined in 22 CFR § 120.62.

Technical Qualifications

• Strong understanding of mechanical systems, engineering fundamentals, and experimental methods
• Knowledge of material properties, behavior, and failure mechanisms of metals, polymers, composites, and other engineering materials under mechanical, thermal, and environmental loading conditions
• Experience developing test plans, procedures, protocols, and reports suitable for verification, validation, qualification, or regulatory environments
• Experience validating test methods for repeatability, reproducibility, and measurement accuracy
• Familiarity with instrumentation, data acquisition systems, sensors, and test control hardware/software
• Ability to analyze and interpret experimental data and communicate technical findings through clear written reports and presentations
• Working knowledge of statistical analysis techniques and uncertainty considerations in testing
• Familiarity with hazard and risk assessment methodologies such as FMEA, Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), or similar tools

Professional Skills

• Strong mechanical aptitude and a hands-on approach to engineering problem solving
• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a fast-paced consulting environment
• Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to explain technical concepts to both engineers and clients
• Self-motivated with the ability to work independently while collaborating effectively across multidisciplinary teams
• Commitment to safety, quality, and technical excellence

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience testing electro-mechanical systems, transportation systems, aerospace components, energy equipment, industrial machinery, or engineered products
• Experience designing test fixtures, test equipment, or custom measurement systems
• Background in regulated or safety-critical industries such as aerospace, transportation, medical devices, oil and gas, or industrial manufacturing
• Experience troubleshooting complex mechanical or electro-mechanical systems
• Knowledge of strain measurement, pressure systems, vibration testing, environmental testing, fatigue testing, or materials characterization
• Experience with LabVIEW, MATLAB, Python, DAQ systems, PLCs, or similar engineering tools
• Professional Engineer (PE) license preferred; candidates with the qualifications and desire to obtain PE licensure are strongly encouraged to apply

What Makes You Stand Out

• Proven ability to take a test program from concept through execution and final reporting
• Experience leading projects, interacting directly with clients, and mentoring engineers or technicians
• Curiosity, adaptability, and a passion for solving complex engineering challenges through testing and data-driven analysis

About Stress Engineering Services

Stress Engineering Services (SES) is an elite, one-of-a-kind engineering consulting firm, trusted for more than 50 years to solve the problems others can’t. Our reputation is built on an uncompromising commitment to technical excellence, a highly selective team of experts, and a track record of delivering answers in the most complex, high-stakes environments. We operate at the intersection of deep technical expertise and real-world application, partnering with clients across energy, aerospace, consumer products, medical, and beyond. Our teams combine advanced analysis with hands-on testing, failure analysis, and practical engineering judgment to deliver solutions that perform where it matters most, in the field. As an employee-owned company, our people are personally invested in every outcome, creating a culture where accountability is high and excellence is the standard. We don’t just solve problems, we uncover root causes, mitigate risk, and deliver confidence.

For our clients, that means a trusted partner known for rigor and results. For our people, it means joining an elite team tackling the most meaningful challenges in engineering.

SES is where complex problems meet uncommon solutions and where elite engineers come to do their best work.

Our Core Values

• We Over Me – We put the mission, our clients, and our team ahead of individual agendas
• Unyielding Pursuit of Excellence – Excellence is the standard. We deliver the right solution, on time, every time
• Own It – We take accountability to earn trust and deliver results

Why Join SES? Own Your Impact. Build Your Future.

At Stress Engineering Services, you’ll have the opportunity to do meaningful work, grow your technical expertise, and share in the success you help create. Employee ownership is more than a benefit here, it’s part of our culture. Your contributions today help build the long-term success of the company and your future as an employee-owner.

• Solve Problems That Matter – Your work directly impacts product performance, safety, reliability, and real-world engineering outcomes.
• Own Your Work and Your Impact – Take on meaningful responsibility, lead technical challenges, and see your ideas and solutions through from concept to completion.
• Broaden Your Technical Experience – Work across industries, materials, systems, and engineering challenges that continually expand your knowledge and capabilities.
• Learn Alongside Experts – Collaborate with experienced engineers and recognized technical leaders who value knowledge-sharing, curiosity, and continuous learning.
• Build Your Professional Reputation – Contribute technical insights, share your expertise with the broader industry, and grow your credibility as a trusted technical resource.
• Grow Your Career – Develop your technical, project leadership, and client-facing skills while pursuing professional development, including opportunities to progress toward PE licensure.
• Think Like an Owner – Bring your ideas, initiative, and entrepreneurial mindset to an environment where innovation, accountability, and collaboration are valued.
• Share in Our Success – Through our employee ownership culture and ESOP, you have the opportunity to benefit from the long-term success you help create.
• Enjoy Competitive Rewards and Benefits – We offer competitive compensation aligned with your experience and expertise, along with medical, dental, and vision coverage, paid time off, holidays, and additional benefits.

We’re built for stability and growth, with an environment where your technical skills, curiosity, and problem-solving can influence more than an individual project. They can help shape the future of the company.

If you’re driven by meaningful work, challenging problems, a strong team, and the opportunity to think and grow like an owner, you’ll thrive at Stress Engineering Services.

Recruitment Process Disclosure
As part of your candidacy and potential future employment, you agree to maintain the confidentiality of proprietary, sensitive, and client-related information obtained through interactions with SES. This obligation applies during and after your engagement.

As part of our hiring process, Stress Engineering Services may use technology tools, including automated tools, to help organize, review, or evaluate application materials and interview-related information. These tools are used to support our recruiting process, but hiring decisions are not made solely by technology. If you need would like to request a reasonable accommodation or would like additional information about the process, please contact [email protected]. Where applicable required by law, we will provide additional notices if a specific tool analyzes interview responses, assessments, or other information as part of your evaluation.

No Agency Solicitation: Stress Engineering Services is managing this search directly. We kindly ask that staffing agencies, recruiting firms, and executive search firms do not contact us regarding this position or submit candidate resumes. Any unsolicited resumes submitted without a valid written agreement may become the property of Stress Engineering Services, and no placement fee will be paid.

Equal Opportunity Employer
Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (SES) is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, pregnancy, disability, age, veteran status, or other protected characteristics.