Staff Mechanical Engineer (22401.2)
Applied Research Associates, Inc.
Indian Head, MDJob$87–115K/yrSeen 2w agoSeen in employer's feed 1w ago
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At a glance
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Requirements
Credentials this posting asks for.
Job overview
Applied Research Associates seeks a Mechanical Engineer to support energetic operations at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head. The role includes developing and obtaining safety approval for standard operating procedures and assisting with project engineering, proposals, planning, technical oversight, quality, engineering solutions, and communication of results. The position is entirely onsite and requires U.S. citizenship, eligibility to obtain a security clearance, and successful completion of required medical and drug screening.
Skills & qualifications
Skills
Qualifications
Full job description
Description
ARA’s team solves problems related to national defense and security. We are actively searching for a Mechanical Engineer to join our team. The engineer will assist in project execution of energetic operations in M41. They will be required to develop, write, demonstrate, route, and gain safety approval of standard operating procedures. Knowledge of SOP writing, general engineering knowledge of mixing, pressing and/or machining technologies, and understanding of typical safety review processes is required. The engineer will also perform basic project engineering duties to include: preparing cost proposals, assist in planning project execution, assist in providing technical oversight, ensuring quality requirements are met, contribute to development of engineering solutions to problems, and communicate project results both orally and in writing.
Work Environment Details: This position operates entirely onsite in a high-activity environment that features an open-plan layout collaborative workspace where visual line-of-sight monitoring and immediate verbal team communication are required at all times. The workspace features active operational equipment, standard facility fluorescent light and ambient machinery noise. Regular, in-person interaction with on-site team members in this workspace are essential functions of this role.
Employment is contingent upon the successful attainment of at least an Interim Secret clearance, granted by the sponsoring agency.
Due to the nature of this work, candidates for this position must be US citizens residing within the US. This position is located at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head and will require you to be onsite. This position does not allow for a remote or hybrid work schedule.
Requirements of a Mechanical Enginee r
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Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or related scientific field with 2-4 years of related work experience, or a Master's with 0-2 years of experience.
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S. Citizenship with the ability to obtain a security clearance.
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Proven proficiency in a range of analytical and technical skills for the synthesis, monitoring, and scaling of energetic materials.
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Demonstrated experience managing multiple, complex projects, including the integration and coordination of diverse stakeholders such as government agencies, contractors, and vendors.
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Experience with process safety and material handling ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.
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Excellent leadership and coordination skills, with a track record of leading and mentoring multi-disciplinary engineering teams across multiple project phases.
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Ability to work effectively in high-pressure, dynamic environments, managing rapid changes in program scope, funding, and priorities.
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Strong written and oral communication skills, with the ability to tailor presentations and reports to diverse technical and non-technical audiences.
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Ability to undergo and pass a Department of Transportation compliant medical physical exam.
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Ability to undergo and pass a drug screening.
Applied Research Associates, Inc. is a 100% employee-owned international research and engineering company recognized for providing technically superior solutions to complex and challenging problems in the physical sciences. We invite you to visit our website (https://www.ara.com/) to learn more about who we are (https://www.ara.com/who-we-are/) , what we do (https://www.ara.com/what-we-do/) , the excellent careers (https://www.ara.com/careers/) and each of the competitive benefits (https://www.ara.com/benefits/) we offer and explore some of our featured offices (https://www.ara.com/featured-offices/) .
Anticipated Salary Range: $87,000 - $115,000
Qualifications
Education
Preferred
- Bachelor of Science or better in Mechanical Engineering
Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.
For further information, please review the Know Your Rights (https://www.eeoc.gov/poster) notice from the Department of Labor.
How this job compares
Set against the 7,647 open Mechanical Engineer jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 4, 2026.
- Pay
- This posting$87–115K/yr
- Maryland median$99–154K/yr93 salary ranges
- US median$105–160K/yr4,577 salary ranges
This range's midpoint, $101K, is 20% below the Maryland median midpoint ($126K) — in the lowest quarter of Mechanical Engineer salary ranges in Maryland.
- Openings
- Olive Jobs lists 118 open Mechanical Engineer jobs in Maryland and 7,647 across the US. 2% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
- Hiring the most in Maryland
- Northrop Grumman21 open
- Actalent8 open
- Jacobs8 open
- Experience
- This posting asks for no prior experience — less than three in four Mechanical Engineer postings that state a minimum ask for (median 5 years, across 6,332 postings).
- Education
- 5,250 of the 7,647 open Mechanical Engineer jobs (69%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.
Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 4, 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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