Mechanical Design Engineer

Mechanical Design Engineer – Small Arms Training Systems

Location: Orlando, Florida

Employment Type: Full-time, on-site

Company: Green Ammo LLC

About Green Ammo

Green Ammo develops advanced electronic weapon-training systems for military, law-enforcement, and security customers. Our E‑Blanks technology converts service weapons into realistic training platforms that simulate recoil, sound, ammunition handling, weapon state, and stoppages without firing live or blank ammunition.

Our systems support individual and collective training across multiple weapon platforms, including the M4, M249, M240, M2, M320, and emerging small-arms and counter-UAS applications. Green Ammo works closely with military customers, defense contractors, and live-training-system providers to integrate E‑Blanks into modern training environments.

Position Summary

Green Ammo is seeking a hands-on Mechanical Design Engineer with small-arms experience to support the design, development, and production of E‑Blanks weapon-training systems.

The ideal candidate has a strong understanding of firearm mechanics and experience designing precision mechanical assemblies in Autodesk Inventor. This position will work on drop-in training components, simulated recoil systems, weapon interfaces, housings, stocks, bolts, magazines, and related accessories for military small-arms platforms.

This is a practical engineering role that spans concept development, CAD design, prototyping, testing, troubleshooting, design for manufacturing, and production support. The engineer will work closely with Green Ammo’s mechanical, electrical, software, and operations teams in the United States and Norway.

Key Responsibilities

• Design mechanical components and assemblies for Green Ammo E‑Blanks systems and related military training products.
• Develop detailed 3D models, assemblies, engineering drawings, and bills of materials using Autodesk Inventor.
• Evaluate military small-arms platforms and develop mechanical interfaces that preserve realistic weapon operation, handling, and ergonomics.
• Design and refine simulated recoil mechanisms, stocks, bolts, magazines, feed components, battery housings, electronic enclosures, and weapon-mounted accessories.
• Convert concepts and customer requirements into functional prototypes and production-ready designs.
• Conduct tolerance analyses, interference checks, fit assessments, and design reviews.
• Apply geometric dimensioning and tolerancing principles to production drawings.
• Build, assemble, test, and troubleshoot prototype systems in a hands-on laboratory and workshop environment.
• Support functional, endurance, environmental, and ruggedization testing.
• Identify mechanical failure modes and develop practical corrective actions.
• Select appropriate materials, finishes, fasteners, springs, bearings, and manufacturing processes.
• Design components for CNC machining, additive manufacturing, sheet metal fabrication, and injection molding.
• Work with internal and external manufacturers to improve manufacturability, quality, cost, and production consistency.
• Support design-for-manufacturing and production-transition activities.
• Maintain accurate product configurations, drawings, engineering changes, and technical documentation.
• Collaborate with electrical and software engineers to package batteries, motors, sensors, circuit boards, antennas, and wiring within weapon-mounted systems.
• Support customer demonstrations, field evaluations, and military training events when required.
• Ensure designs comply with applicable safety, contractual, export-control, and customer requirements.
• Travel periodically to customer locations, testing sites, manufacturers, and Green Ammo’s Norway office.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent experience.
• Professional experience designing mechanical products or precision mechanical assemblies.
• Demonstrated experience with small arms, firearm operating systems, weapon components, or military weapon-training equipment.
• Strong proficiency with Autodesk Inventor, including part modeling, assemblies, drawings, and design documentation.
• Ability to understand the mechanical operation of gas-operated, recoil-operated, magazine-fed, and belt-fed weapon systems.
• Experience with GD&T, tolerance stack-ups, engineering drawings, and configuration control.
• Experience developing prototypes and transitioning designs into production.
• Working knowledge of machining, additive manufacturing, injection molding, and other common manufacturing processes.
• Ability to safely inspect, assemble, disassemble, and troubleshoot small-arms components.
• Strong mechanical problem-solving and root-cause-analysis skills.
• Ability to communicate clearly with engineers, technicians, suppliers, customers, and military personnel.
• Ability to manage multiple development efforts in a fast-paced, small-company environment.
• Ability to work on-site at Green Ammo’s Orlando facility.
• Ability to access export-controlled technical information and U.S. Government or military facilities, as required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Five or more years of relevant mechanical design or product-development experience.
• Military, law-enforcement, gunsmithing, armorer, defense-industry, or small-arms manufacturing experience.
• Familiarity with U.S. military weapon platforms such as the M4, M249, M240, M2, M320, M17, M7, M250, or military shotguns.
• Experience designing recoil mechanisms, electromechanical systems, or weapon-mounted equipment.
• Experience integrating motors, batteries, sensors, and electronics into compact mechanical assemblies.
• Experience with environmental qualification, ruggedization, MIL‑STD testing, or military product-development programs.
• Experience with finite element analysis, spring design, dynamic mechanisms, or fatigue analysis.
• Familiarity with product lifecycle management, engineering change processes, and controlled technical data.
• Experience working with government contractors or supporting Department of Defense programs.
• Active or previous U.S. security clearance.

Physical and Work Requirements

• Ability to work in an engineering laboratory, prototype shop, office, military range, and field-testing environment.
• Ability to safely handle weapon systems and mechanical test equipment.
• Ability to lift and carry equipment weighing up to approximately 50 pounds.
• Ability to travel within the United States and internationally on a limited basis.
• Some testing or customer-support activities may occur outside normal business hours.

What Green Ammo Offers

• The opportunity to develop innovative technology for military and law-enforcement training.
• Direct involvement throughout the complete product-development lifecycle.
• Hands-on work with advanced small-arms training and simulation systems.
• A collaborative international engineering environment.
• Opportunities to participate in military demonstrations, field tests, and emerging defense programs.
• Competitive compensation and benefits based on qualifications and experience.