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Engineer I - Mechanical

Mission Support and Test Services

Goleta, CATemporary$68–102K/yrSeen 5 days agoSeen in employer's feed 5 days ago

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At a glance

Compensation
$68–102K/yr
Location
Goleta, CA
Schedule
Temporary
Work Authorization
US work authorization required

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Requirements

Credentials this posting asks for.

NCARB CertificationProfessional Engineer LicenseSecurity clearanceValid Driver's License

Job overview

Mission Support and Test Services seeks a Casual Engineer I to support national security activities at the Special Technologies Laboratory in Santa Barbara, California. The engineer will support field programs and designs, contribute to technical proposals and reports, and assist with experiments and field campaigns. The position is limited to 900 hours per calendar year and requires a bachelor's degree through one of several specified pathways, a valid driver's license, and eligibility for a DOE Q-level security clearance.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

MechanicsMaterialsThermodynamicsHeat TransferManufacturing Processes3D CADGD&TEngineering DrawingsTolerance Stack-UpsMetrologyPrototypingMachiningAdditive ManufacturingFEAMATLABPythonData AnalysisInterpreting Codes and Standards

Qualifications

ABET-Accredited Engineering Bachelor'sCalculus-Based STEM Bachelor'sNCARB CertificationProfessional Engineer LicenseValid Driver's LicenseU.S. CitizenshipMust Be 18+DOE Q-Level Security Clearance

Full job description

Job Description

THIS IS A CASUAL POSITION WORKING A MAXIMUM OF 900 HOURS PER CALENDAR YEAR.

The Special Technologies Laboratory (STL) in Santa Barbara, California is in search of a Casual Engineer I to support direct customer national security activities.

Responsiblities

Key Responsibilities

  • Solid foundation in mechanics, materials, thermodynamics, heat transfer, and manufacturing processes.

  • Academic or project experience with a 3D CAD platform such as SolidWorks, Creo, NX, or CATIA.

  • Familiarity with GD&T, engineering drawings, tolerance stack-ups, and basic metrology.

  • Exposure to prototyping, machining, additive manufacturing, FEA, MATLAB, Python, or data-analysis tools is a plus.

  • Work closely with senior scientists, senior mechanical engineers and technologists to plan scientific experiments and field campaigns.

  • Travel for field deployments of remote sensing sensors and infrastructure.

  • Support field programs and designs using pre-determined principles and practices.

  • Contribute to designs, strategies, reports and technical proposals.

  • Follow specific established engineering and technical procedures and instructions.

  • Assist in defining specifications for procurements and initiates purchase requests.

  • Perform other duties assigned by Management.

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in an engineering program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) required for Civil, Mechanical and Electrical engineering degrees;

  • Or, Calculus-based STEM bachelor’s degree in engineering

  • Or, for Architects, Certification from the National Council or Architectural Registration Board (NCARB)

  • Or Professional Engineer license

  • Skill building experience must demonstrate either deeper technical specialization or additional crossdisciplinary knowledge. Graduate research experience may be recognized.

  • Ability to interpret codes and standards applicable to the position.

  • The primary work location will be at the Special Technologies Laboratory located in Santa Barbara, CA.

  • Flexible work schedule may be negotiated with the manager; employees can work 5/8s, 9/80 or 4/10 work weeks.

  • Pre-placement physical examination, which includes a drug screen, is required. MSTS maintains a substance abuse policy that includes random drug testing.

  • Must possess a valid driver’s license.

MSTS is required by DOE directive to conduct a pre-employment drug test and background review that includes checks of personal references, credit, law enforcement records, and employment/education verifications. Applicants offered employment with MSTS are also subject to a federal background investigation to meet the requirements for access to classified information or matter if the duties of the position require a DOE security clearance. Substance abuse or illegal drug use, falsification of information, criminal activity, serious misconduct or other indicators of untrustworthiness can cause a clearance to be denied or terminated by DOE, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment. In addition, Applicants for employment must be able to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship, at least 18 years of age. Reference DOE Order 472.2, “Personnel Security”. If you hold more than one citizenship (i.e., of the U.S. and another country), your ability to obtain a security clearance may be impacted.

Department of Energy Q Clearance (position will be cleared to this level). Reviews and tests for the absence of any illegal drug as defined in 10 CFR Part 707.4, “Workplace Substance Abuse Programs at DOE Sites,” will be conducted. Applicant selected will be subject to a Federal background investigation, required to participate in subsequent reinvestigations, and must meet the eligibility requirements for access to classified matter. Successful completion of a counterintelligence evaluation, which may include a counterintelligence-scope polygraph examination, may also be required. Reference 10 CFR Part 709, “Counterintelligence Evaluation Program.”

MSTS is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, veteran status or other characteristics protected by law. MSTS is a background screening, drug-free workplace.

Annual salary range for this position is: $67,704.00 - $101,566.40.

Starting salary is determined based on the position market value, the individual candidate education and experience and internal equity.

How this job compares

Set against the 7,522 open Mechanical Engineer jobs on Olive Jobs, counted October 29, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$68–102K/yr
  • California median$129–180K/yr1,008 salary ranges
  • US median$105–160K/yr4,496 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $85K, is 45% below the California median midpoint ($154K) — in the lowest quarter of Mechanical Engineer salary ranges in California.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 1,281 open Mechanical Engineer jobs in California and 7,522 across the US. 2% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in California
Experience
Mechanical Engineer postings that state a minimum ask for 5 years of experience at the median; the middle half ask for 3 to 7 years (6,220 postings).
Education
5,283 of the 7,522 open Mechanical Engineer jobs (70%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on October 29, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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