Mechanical Engineer

If you've built race cars, hydraulic systems, industrial machinery, or complex mechanical systems and enjoy hands-on engineering, we'd like to hear from you

At Dawn Aerospace, we build world-leading propulsion systems for satellites operating in space today and tomorrow. Dawn pioneered the use of Nitrous Oxide and Propene as our combustible propellants which is today manoeuvring over 40 satellites in-orbit, and many more to come.

We are looking for a practical, driven mechanical engineer to help develop and test high-performance propulsion hardware, especially our critical fluid components. In this role, you and the team are responsible for the entire lifecycle of new products. This role is ideal for someone from an automotive, motorsport, hydraulics, refrigerants, pneumatics, heavy equipment, or advanced manufacturing background who enjoys solving real engineering problems and getting hands-on with hardware. If you want to take your experience to the next level, it doesn't get much harder than space.

You do not need prior aerospace experience. We care more about engineering fundamentals, attitude of extreme ownership, mechanical intuition, and the ability to get things done in a fast-moving environment.

What You'll Be Doing

• Design and develop mechanical components and assemblies for high-pressure thermo-fluid systems

• Work on valves, regulators, tanks, tubing systems, structural components, and test equipment

• Build, assemble, troubleshoot, and improve prototype hardware

• Develop and perform mechanical and fluid system tests

• Analyse failures, identify root causes, and implement practical solutions

• Support manufacturing and supplier engagement to ensure parts are robust and producible at scale

• Collaborate closely with design, test, manufacturing, and systems engineers as well as customers located around the world

• Contribute to rapid iteration and continuous product improvement

We're Interested In People With Experience In Any Of

• Automotive engineering

• Motorsport or racing systems

• Hydraulics or pneumatics

• Industrial fluid systems

• Aerospace

• Advanced manufacturing

• Test and development engineering

• Heavy machinery or performance equipment

What We're Looking For

• Mechanical engineering degree or equivalent practical industry experience

• Strong problem-solving ability

• Hands-on engineering mindset

• CAD experience (SolidWorks or similar)

• Understanding of pressure systems, valves, fittings, tubing, pumps, regulators, or fluid control systems

• Ability to work independently and move quickly

• Comfortable working in workshop and test environments

• Strong attitude, initiative, and willingness to learn

Bonus Experience

• High-pressure systems

• Refrigerants

• Vacuum systems

• Test or reliability engineering

• Data acquisition and instrumentation

• FEA, CFD or other simulation tools

• Coding

• Precision machining or manufacturing processes

• Experience working in fast-paced R&D environments and across full product lifecycles.

Why Join Dawn Aerospace?

• Work on real hardware that operates in space

• Small team with high ownership and fast decision-making

• Combination of design, testing, manufacturing, and development work

• Opportunity to work on cutting-edge satellite technology without needing prior aerospace experience

• Work in one of New Zealand's fastest growing high-tech companies