Mechanical Engineering Intern (Summer 2027)

Amca is building America’s new industrial base. Since the 1990s, our ability to build new aviation and military systems and maintain the ones we already have has eroded. Today, the gap between what the nation needs to produce and what it is capable of producing is the largest it has been in generations.

To help close that gap, Amca rapidly develops and manufactures new critical components and subsystems required to build and sustain the planes, military vehicles, and core infrastructure America needs. Today, we operate seven factories nationwide, including our advanced prototyping and testing headquarters in El Segundo, and deliver avionics, hydraulic, and electrical components for platforms such as the F-35, F-16, F/A-18, 737MAX, 787, A320neo, A321, Mk-48, and M1 Abrams.

Overview

The Mechanical Design Engineering Intern works alongside our design team to develop flight hardware for new and existing airframes. You will own a scoped hardware project from concept through prototype and test, with a dedicated mentor and daily access to the engineers responsible for the systems around you. Your summer will consist of designing, analyzing, and building fluid and structural components, and learning how customer level requirements translate into parts that get built and qualified.

This is not a shadowing program. Interns at Amca ship hardware. You should expect your work to be reviewed with the same rigor as a full-time engineer's, and to see your parts on the bench before you leave.

Responsibilities

Design and prototype mechanical hardware under the guidance of a mentor engineer

Contribute to avionics hardware (buttons, switches, dials), flow control devices (valves, regulators, solenoids), or mechanisms (actuators, pistons)

Question requirements, look for simplification, and help accelerate component deliveries

Generate and maintain detailed drawings, component specifications, and supporting analysis

We believe design engineers should perform their own concept design, technical analysis, and first unit builds, and we hold interns to the same expectation at an appropriate scope

Support root cause investigations arising in development, production, and test, and help implement corrective actions

Build and test your own prototypes in our in-house R&D lab

Work with test engineering to help define and execute qualification plans for the components you own

Work with build engineers to understand manufacturability constraints and incorporate DFM feedback into your designs

Present your project and results to the engineering team at the end of the internship

Basic Qualifications

Currently enrolled in a Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD program in aerospace engineering, manufacturing engineering, materials engineering, mechanical engineering, or engineering physics

Returning to school in Fall 2027, or graduating in Spring 2027 and interested in a full-time role

Completed coursework in thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, or solid mechanics, and a working understanding of engineering first principles

Hands-on design, analysis, or build experience through coursework, a student project team, personal projects, or a prior internship

Preferred Skills and Experience

Experience on a student project team building physical hardware, such as rocketry, Formula SAE, Baja, or a design build fly team

Familiarity with GD&T concepts

Experience with Siemens NX, SolidWorks, or a similar CAD package

Exposure to finite element analysis (FEA) software

Experience designing, building, testing, and troubleshooting mechanical systems

Familiarity with pressurized components (valves, regulators, tubes, pipes)

Experience using test instrumentation and control components such as pressure transducers, thermocouples, resistance temperature detectors, relays, and solenoid valves

Machine shop, welding, or fabrication experience

Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills, enthusiasm for problem solving, and interest in modern aerospace production and design

Additional Requirements

This internship is on-site in El Segundo, California, five days a week.

Occasional travel to vendors or other Amca sites may be required

This position requires use of information which is subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). All applicants must be U.S. persons within the meaning of ITAR. ITAR defines a US person as: any individual who is granted U.S. citizenship; or. any individual who is granted U.S. permanent residence ("Green Card" holder); or. any individual who is granted status as a "protected person" under 8 U.S.C 1324b(a)(3).

The Advanced Manufacturing Company of America prohibits discrimination or harassment based on the following categories: race, color, religion, religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), national origin, ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition (including cancer and genetic characteristics), genetic information, marital status, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), gender, gender identity, gender expression, age (40 years and over), sexual orientation, veteran and/or military status, protected medical leaves (requesting or approved for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act or the California Family Rights Act), domestic violence victim status, political affiliation, and any other status protected by state or federal law.