Mechanical Engineering Intern (Fall 2026)

Role Overview:

As a Mechanical Engineering Intern, you will play a hands-on role in designing, developing, and testing complex mechanical systems for customer-facing projects. In this role, you will contribute to the full development lifecycle, from initial concept and simulation through prototyping, validation, and integration. Whether it’s designing mechanisms and enclosures, performing structural analysis, or designing precision assemblies for manufacturability, you'll be making real contributions to complex systems. This internship is designed to accelerate your technical growth, giving you the chance to build a strong foundation in mechanical engineering while making an immediate impact.

What You Will Do:

Ownership: Contribute to the design of mechanical systems for customers across various industries

Technical Mentorship: Partner closely with a mentor who will provide technical guidance, feedback, and support throughout the entire internship

Design Analysis: Utilize CAD and simulation tools to develop structural, thermal, and tolerance analyses for electromechanical assemblies, using both hand calculations and FEA

Thermal Management: Design and analyze active and passive thermal management systems for custom electronic systems and packaging solutions

Prototyping Testing: Participate in test campaigns to validate hardware performance under shock, vibration, thermal, and other environmental stresses

What You Will Need:

Current enrollment in college (Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, Robotics, or related field)

Experience in designing, modeling, simulation, and testing of electromechanical components or assemblies

Experience with hand calculations, finite element analysis (FEA), and computer-aided design (CAD)

Demonstrated passion and curiosity for mechanical engineering

Strong problem-solving skills and initiative to overcome technical challenges

Strong written and verbal technical communication skills; ability to explain design decisions and component selections

What Would Be Useful:

Experience in team-based design and build projects (e.g., Formula SAE, Solar Car, CubeSat, Rover Challenge, etc.)

Familiarity with circuits and electrical engineering fundamentals

Familiarity with manufacturing processes, such as machining, injection molding, water jetting, electro-discharge machining, and 3D printing

Familiarity with generating thermal models for electronic assemblies; experience with thermal analysis of electronic devices with FEA and CFD modeling

Experience with high-precision 3D printing processes and design for complex systems

Ability to analyze and estimate structural loading from environmental sources

Experience with fatigue and thermal testing of electromechanical assemblies

Understanding of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD T)

Benefits:

Salary: $70,400 annual salary, prorated for length of internship

Flexible work hours and work from home policy

100% employer-paid health insurance (Medical, Dental, Vision) for employees + 50% dependent coverage

Accrued paid time off policy, accrued sick days policy, and paid company holidays

401(k) retirement account and employer matching (Safe Harbor 4%)

Housing stipend bonus

Electric Vehicle (EV) charging ports

Catered lunches, snacks, and accessible kitchen

Our Values in Practice:

SOE’s four core values are the standard by which we operate. As an engineering intern, you are expected to embody them in every design decision, debugging session, and team interaction:

Lead with Curiosity: Approach every system with a desire to understand not just how it works, but why it was designed that way. Ask questions early and often of your mentor, your teammates, and yourself. The best engineers are the ones who never stop learning.

Own the Outcome: Take genuine ownership of your work, from first prototype through final validation. Communicate blockers early, document your work thoroughly, and follow through on what you commit to.

Build the Right Thing: Understand the customer need behind each technical requirement and make design decisions that are practical, reliable, and built to last. Good engineering solves the real problem, not just the interesting one.

Empower Others: Contribute to a team culture where knowledge is shared freely. Ask for feedback, act on it, and share what you learn with those around you. Your curiosity and fresh perspectives will make the whole team better.

About SOE:

SOE is an engineering consulting firm that specializes in electrical, electromechanical, and embedded systems. Founded in 2016, we’ve grown from a 3-person operation to a team of 25+ engineers across offices in El Segundo, CA and Redmond, WA. In that time, we’ve completed over 250 projects for more than 100 clients. Our designs control rocket engines, manage satellite communications, instrument fusion reactors, and are enjoyed by consumers around the world. The only thing we won’t build are weapons.

We’re 100% employe…