Sierra Lobo
Engineering, fabrication, testing of aerospace hardware
Mechanical Test Engineer
About the job
- A minimum of a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering, such as Mechanical Engineering or Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent, and two years of applicable experience.
- Knowledge and understanding of aerospace testing and facility operations, including mechanical test systems involving hydraulics, high vacuum, pneumatics, fluid mechanics, fluid dynamics, aerodynamics, and mechanical design.
- Understanding of electronic test systems involving data acquisition, sensors, and signal conditioning.
- Provide technical expertise to ground test facility users in planning test projects, matching facility requirements with capabilities, balancing resources, and integrating schedules.
- Manage assigned test projects by developing detailed project plans and schedules with task lists, durations, and resource assignments, and lead execution of the project plan when designated as lead project engineer.
- Support aerospace ground testing projects through mechanical system and test hardware design, mechanical hardware fabrication oversight, system and hardware installation oversight, data analysis, instrumentation specifications, and final report generation.
- Provide technical expertise and guidance for planning and executing test projects and coordinating maintenance activities, including daily test-team coordination, work-instruction generation for technical staff, and reporting to contractor and customer management.
- Analyze mechanical system requirements to match system capabilities with test requirements.
- Coordinate with electrical test engineering and data and instrumentation technicians to prepare facilities for test and operational requirements.
- Prepare documentation supporting facility development efforts.
- Prepare specifications and purchase requisitions for facility hardware.
- Support training of other engineers and technicians.
- Develop presentations and present at design reviews, safety reviews, and other technical presentations.
- Provide periodic status reports on assigned tasks to contractor and customer management.
- Conduct design of experiments and experimental error analyses.
- Calibrate test facilities, including wind tunnel set-point calibration and flow-quality studies.
- Direct knowledge of aerospace test facilities, including wind tunnels, thermal vacuum facilities, propulsion test stands, and vibration testing.
About the company
Sierra Lobo is an engineering and technical services firm focused on developing and delivering advanced technologies for transportation across land, air, sea, and space. It designs, builds, and tests complex R&D hardware and aerospace flight hardware, using its in-house fabrication and testing facilities in Milan, Ohio, and Pasadena, California. The company follows a design–build–test approach, creating new technologies and cost-effective methods to meet customers’ needs and reduce risk for aerospace programs. Compared with competitors, Sierra Lobo emphasizes its track record in building flight hardware for major aerospace firms, its full-service in-house capabilities, and its status as a Hispanic-American owned Small Disadvantaged Business, which may give it unique access to certain programs. Its goal is to lead the development of advanced transportation technologies and enable human exploration by delivering capable, reliable hardware and engineering solutions.
Company Size
201-500
Company Stage
N/A
Total Funding
N/A
Headquarters
Fremont, Ohio
Founded
1993
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- NASA extended TEST3 on April 24, 2026, preserving Sierra Lobo's White Sands presence.
- SpaceDOC III at Glenn began February 27, 2024, with up to $282.1 million.
- Revelio counts 532 employees in March 2026, up 16.5% since 2023.
What critics are saying
- The April 24, 2026 TEST3 extension is sole-source and contestable by February 7.
- Sierra Lobo still depends heavily on NASA contracts, especially Glenn and White Sands.
- Losing NASA Glenn and White Sands primes would threaten Sierra Lobo's survival.
What makes Sierra Lobo unique
- Sierra Lobo specializes in NASA and AFRL test-facility operations, not generic engineering.
- It holds prime roles at Glenn, White Sands, Stennis, and Edwards simultaneously.
- Its staff embeds inside government labs, making switching costs high.
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Sierra Lobo Inc. is honored to receive the 2017 NASA Office of Small Business Programs Small Business Industry Award (SBIA) in the category of “Large Business Prime Contractor of the Year” from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC).
Sierra Lobo’s (SLI) Technology Development and Engineering Center (TDEC) was awarded the Outstanding Supplier Award for supporting Northrop Grumman in developing propellant test and ground support infrastructure for their OmegA launch vehicle.