Senior Design Engineer

EXO Talent Partners is conducting a retained search on behalf of a fast-growing aerospace and defense manufacturer based in Hartford County, Connecticut. This company designs and qualifies custom, precision fluid-control and filtration components for some of the most demanding defense and space programs in the world. Their A&D business has grown 50% in the last two years, and they are expanding their engineering team to keep pace.

This is a hands-on engineering role with real ownership from day one. You will take products from initial customer requirements through concept design, design reviews, qualification testing, and final delivery. If you are the kind of engineer who wants to own a product rather than support one, this is worth a conversation.

What You Will Do

• You will design and develop custom filtration and fluid control components for defense and space programs.
• Day to day, that means running flow and pressure drop calculations, performing hoop stress analysis for internal pressure, navigating PDR and CDR design review gates, writing and executing qualification test procedures, and interfacing directly with customers throughout the program lifecycle.
• You will coordinate with an external FEA house and interpret structural analysis results. The PM team handles program administration — your job is the engineering.

What They Are Looking For

• The ideal candidate has hands-on design engineering experience in aerospace or defense and is comfortable owning technical decisions. Experience with fluid control, valve design, precision hydraulics, pneumatics, filtration, or adjacent precision component categories is directly relevant.
• Deep experience in qualification processes — PDR, CDR, QTP, ATP, lot acceptance testing — is equally valued.
• The product category can be taught. The engineering discipline and the drive to go above and beyond cannot.
• The team is mid-career, highly collaborative, and deeply committed to their programs. They stay late when programs need it, come in on weekends when customers need it, and take real pride in what they deliver. That culture is non-negotiable.

Requirements

• 3 to 12 years of engineering experience in aerospace, defense, or adjacent precision manufacturing.
• Hands-on design engineering background — you run calculations and own designs directly. Experience with A&D qualification processes.
• Strong customer interface skills. BS in Mechanical, Aerospace, or related Engineering discipline required. MS is a plus.

Compensation

$100,000 to $150,000 base salary plus 15 to 20% performance bonus. Relocation package available for the right candidate.

How to Apply

This search is being conducted exclusively by EXO Talent Partners. To be considered, send your resume directly to alex@exotalentpartners.com with the subject line "Design Engineer — Hartford County." All inquiries are handled confidentially.