Demo

Mechanical Engineer lV

Kratos Defense
Columbia, MT Full Time
POSTED ON 10/23/2026
AVAILABLE BEFORE 12/21/2026
Job Description:

Shift: First Shift


Overview:
Nomad Global Communications Solutions is a leading provider of communication and response products serving a wide variety of customers. Our purpose is to be the solution when every minute matters. We seek a candidate that is self-inspired to learn and demonstrates a high degree of customer service while positively contributing to our team.

Mechanical Engineers (ME) work is a critical function in the engineering process, being responsible for taking designs from concept through full production documentation. Accuracy and completeness must be maintained through all levels of design to provide complete Bill of Materials (BOMs) and production worthy CAD models/ drawings to the manufacturing teams. All ME deliverables must meet or exceed Nomad Global Communication Solutions' standards of excellence.

Mechanical Engineers must apply practical engineering science and technologies to designs. These include application of fluid mechanics, materials, structures, dynamics, basic electrical theory, and machine component design. Expertise in raw material selection, manufacturing processes (welding, machining, & sheet metal), quality control, and concentration on cost mitigation are also core required competencies.

Depending on level (I-V), Engineers progress from learning foundational engineering practices and supporting designs to independently leading complex platform architectures, mentoring others, and driving technical strategy across the organization.

Career Growth: Mechanical Engineers at Nomad GCS progress through five levels based on demonstrated technical mastery, independence, leadership, and impact. Advancement is supported through mentorship, project ownership, and alignment with Nomad's Core Values.

Organizational Structure: Nomad Engineering is organized into Teams and Disciplines within the Innovative Solutions Division.

Teams:

  • Team 1 (Standards and Modularity): Builds and maintains engineering standards, modules, templates, and rules enabling repeatability and scale.
  • Team 2 (Design): Executes project-level engineering using established standards and less complex custom configurations.
  • Team 3 (Advanced): Develops novel systems and resolves first-of-kind engineering challenges.
  • Team 4 (Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering): Ensures manufacturability, safety, engineering intent, efficiency, and continuous improvement throughout Production.

Disciplines:

  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Electrical Engineering
  • IT Engineering
  • Human Factors Engineering
  • Software Engineering

A Mechanical Engineer may be temporarily assigned to one or more of the four Teams. These teams include Standards & Modularity, Design Engineering, Advanced Engineering, and/or Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering.

Core Responsibilities - All Levels:

  • Design, develop, and support mechanical systems for Nomad vehicles and platforms.
  • Ensure designs comply with applicable codes, safety standards, and customer requirements.
  • Support manufacturing by answering technical questions, resolving build issues, and improving design clarity.
  • Participate in design reviews, testing, validation, and root cause analysis.
  • Collaborate cross-functionally with other Engineering disciplines, Production, Quality, and Project Management teams.
  • Apply continuous improvement principles to improve product quality, reliability, and manufacturability.
  • Uphold and model Nomad Core Values in all work.
  • Create CAD documentation for projects, including top levels assemblies, sub-assemblies, and parts.
  • Use FEA to analyze designs: determine stress, create tests to verify results, document analysis, and change designs as needed to optimize.
  • Create, implement, supervise, and document tests verifying designs meet customer requirements.
  • Complete all analyses, documentation, and drawings required for Production within established time frames as agreed upon by the Operations Team.
  • Communicate with vendors and clients to troubleshoot designs, get information on new designs, and obtain specifications/drawings/models of components.
  • Track and record work hours for each specific project daily.
  • Be willing to travel as needed by Management.
  • Perform additional duties as assigned.

Mechanical Engineer IV - Senior Technical Lead

  • Own mechanical system architecture across multiple product lines or platforms.
  • Set design standards, guidelines, and best practices for the organization.
  • Experience defining system architectures reused across multiple products or programs.
  • Lead high-risk or highly complex engineering efforts from concept through production.
  • Deep familiarity with compliance, certification, and safety-critical design processes.
  • Ownership of technical decision-making where failure would have significant cost or safety impact.
  • Experience balancing competing constraints (schedule, cost, performance, manufacturability).
  • Drive design decisions impacting safety, reliability, compliance, and scalability.
  • Serve as a primary technical authority for mechanical systems at Nomad GCS.
  • Coach and mentor engineers across all levels.
  • Influence engineering strategy, tooling, and long-term technical direction.
  • Recognized internally as a go-to expert for complex engineering challenges.
  • Demonstrated technical mastery.
  • BS in Mechanical Engineering or related field
  • 8-12 years advanced Mechanical Engineering experience.

Progression signal: Others rely on this engineer's judgment to make irreversible or high-impact decisions.


Experience and Skills:

Qualifications:

  • BS in Mechanical Engineering or related field
  • 8-12 years advanced Mechanical Engineering experience.\
  • Must have CAD experience. SolidWorks preferred.

Physical Demands:

  • Ability to stand and sit for extended periods.
  • Manual dexterity to operate office equipment.
  • Occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds.
  • Occasional climbing or hands-on testing activities.
  • Ability to work in office, shop, and vehicle environments as needed.
  • Ability to work safely around energized systems when required.
  • Must be able to travel as needed on occasion.

Working Environment:

  • Combination of office, production floor, and vehicle-based environments.
  • Exposure to manufacturing noise, electrical/ manufacturing equipment, and testing environments.
  • PPE required when entering production or testing areas.

Job Benefits:
  • Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance Coverage
  • Life/ADD & Short/Long Term Disability Insurance
  • 401(k) Savings Plan
  • Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP)
  • Paid Time-Off (PTO)
  • Holidays
  • Education Reimbursement


Kratos Defense is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, genetic information, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected category under applicable federal, state, and local laws.

Disability Accessibility Accommodation
If you require an accommodation to navigate or apply to our careers site, please send your request to HRAccessibility@kratosdefense.com or call 858-964-2916. Any inquires not related to requesting an accommodation will be discarded.

Pay Transparency
The company will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant.

Job Applicant Privacy Notice
For applicants in the EU and California residents, please review our privacy notice.



From: Kratos Defense

Benefits:

Health Insurance, 401K Plan, Vacation & Paid Time Off

Salary : $85,569 - $115,594

If your compensation planning software is too rigid to deploy winning incentive strategies, it’s time to find an adaptable solution. Compensation Planning
Enhance your organization's compensation strategy with salary data sets that HR and team managers can use to pay your staff right. Surveys & Data Sets

What is the career path for a Mechanical Engineer lV?

Sign up to receive alerts about other jobs on the Mechanical Engineer lV career path by checking the boxes next to the positions that interest you.
Income Estimation: 
$91,017 - $111,627
Income Estimation: 
$106,299 - $135,354
Income Estimation: 
$108,186 - $133,193
Income Estimation: 
$134,236 - $174,128
Income Estimation: 
$155,404 - $198,448
Income Estimation: 
$158,725 - $194,124
Employees: Get a Salary Increase
View Core, Job Family, and Industry Job Skills and Competency Data for more than 15,000 Job Titles Skills Library

Job openings at Kratos Defense

  • Kratos Defense Auburn, MI
  • GENERAL JOB SUMMARY: The Program Manager is responsible for the end-to-end execution of assigned customer programs , ensuring cost, schedule, technical, an... more
  • 15 Days Ago

  • Kratos Defense Auburn, MI
  • Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc., is a leading defense technology company focused on uncrewed systems, satellite communications, cyber security/wa... more
  • Just Posted

  • Kratos Defense Columbia, MT
  • Job Description: Shift: First Shift Overview: Nomad Global Communications Solutions is a leading provider of communication and response products serving a ... more
  • 1 Day Ago

  • Kratos Defense Birmingham, AL
  • General Summary This position is for a Mechanical Engineer responsible for executing the mechanical design of devices incorporating complex moving componen... more
  • 2 Days Ago


Not the job you're looking for? Here are some other Mechanical Engineer lV jobs in the Columbia, MT area that may be a better fit.

  • Kratos Defense and Security Solutions Columbia, MT
  • Job Description Overview: Nomad Global Communications Solutions is a leading provider of communication and response products serving a wide variety of cust... more
  • 10 Days Ago

  • Cushing Terrell Great Falls, MT
  • Experienced Mechanical Engineer Position Description Cushing Terrell is seeking an Experienced Mechanical Engineer to join our team on an on-site basis. In... more
  • 1 Month Ago

AI Assistant is available now!

Feel free to start your new journey!