What does a mechanical systems engineer do?
A mechanical systems engineer is responsible for designing tools and equipment, overseeing manufacturing processes, and running quality checks on the products to ensure adherence to business requirements and guidelines. Mechanical systems engineers analyze blueprints and specifications to recommend cost-reduction techniques and materials for production. They also inspect the operating systems and performance of equipment, resolving machinery failures, and modifying designs to improve feasibility. A mechanical systems engineer must have excellent technical and organizational skills, especially on researching current trends to identify opportunities that would generate more revenue resources and increase the company's profits.
Mechanical systems engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real mechanical systems engineer resumes:
- Manage refueling rig project (SolidWorks models, electronics layout, BOM and PLC programming).
- Initiate and lead development of in-house rapid prototyping and machine shop facilities, and prepare and institute associated training.
- Design test equipment used for customers using SolidWorks and AutoCAD as well as SURFCAM software.
- Implement PLC and system communication network.
- Design and build automated test systems using Labview.
- Work with PLC's, control circuits and various sensing technologies.
- Resolve urgent certification issues relate to the FAA type certificates by directing personnel resources and assigning priority to crises.
- Develop a wide variety of solid state lighting fixture including housing, electronic packaging, thermal design, and UL compliance.
- Simulate numerically the calibration process in MATLAB and conduct error analysis.
- Design aircraft layouts, thermal/hydraulic/electrical systems in accordance with FAA certification guidelines.
- Verify and document calculations on ISS thermodynamics and orbital mechanics using MATLAB.
- Maintain documentation for UL testing and procedures and ensure products perform under UL specification.
- Perform stress analysis for medium caliber projectiles to determine the structural integrity using ANSYS.
- Aid in testing and performance analysis of an active charge-balancing circuit for battery capacity optimization.
- Develop preliminary designs of power distribution and battery charging system, including the complicated grounding system.
Mechanical systems engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 15% of Mechanical Systems Engineers are proficient in Mechanical Systems, CAD, and System Design. They’re also known for soft skills such as Creativity, Listening skills, and Mechanical skills.
We break down the percentage of Mechanical Systems Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Mechanical Systems, 15%
Lead mechanical systems design activities.
- CAD, 9%
Designed complete mechanical packaging and electrical interface using CAD software.
- System Design, 6%
Administered technical body of knowledge ensuring currency and accuracy of critical system designs, processes, and troubleshooting practices.
- Solidworks, 5%
Used SolidWorks for the design and development of protection devices for military vehicles.
- Project Management, 5%
Project management of contracted services including construction, renovations, and system modifications.
- FEA, 5%
Supported MRJ/BA new seal technology for development readiness level by utilizing and calibrating FEA design software specifically for seal analysis.
Most mechanical systems engineers use their skills in "mechanical systems," "cad," and "system design" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential mechanical systems engineer responsibilities here:
Creativity. One of the key soft skills for a mechanical systems engineer to have is creativity. You can see how this relates to what mechanical systems engineers do because "mechanical engineers design and build complex pieces of equipment and machinery." Additionally, a mechanical systems engineer resume shows how mechanical systems engineers use creativity: "applied exceptional creativity and problem solving methods to generate innovative prototypes and pre-production product samples that fed into product development. "
Listening skills. Many mechanical systems engineer duties rely on listening skills. "mechanical engineers often work on projects with others, such as architects and computer scientists," so a mechanical systems engineer will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways mechanical systems engineer responsibilities rely on listening skills: "communicated task status and results to project management via design reviews, test readiness reviews, weekly management reviews. "
Mechanical skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of mechanical systems engineers is mechanical skills. This skill is critical to many everyday mechanical systems engineer duties, as "mechanical skills allow engineers to apply basic engineering concepts and mechanical processes to the design of new devices and systems." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "created 3-d models, assembly drawings and detail drawings of complex electro-mechanical packaging for mobile computing and barcode scanning products. "
Problem-solving skills. mechanical systems engineer responsibilities often require "problem-solving skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "mechanical engineers need good problem-solving skills to take scientific principles and discoveries and use them to design and build useful products." This resume example shows what mechanical systems engineers do with problem-solving skills on a typical day: "optimized hardware design solutions by conducting trade studies and performing analysis to validate proposed designs. "
Math skills. Another common skill required for mechanical systems engineer responsibilities is "math skills." This skill comes up in the duties of mechanical systems engineers all the time, as "mechanical engineers use the principles of calculus, statistics, and other advanced subjects in math for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work." An excerpt from a real mechanical systems engineer resume shows how this skill is central to what a mechanical systems engineer does: "completed fea stress/structural analysis of 14 nasa x-38 sub-assemblies using patran, nastran and mathcad. "
The three companies that hire the most mechanical systems engineers are:
- SpaceX9 mechanical systems engineers jobs
- NVIDIA8 mechanical systems engineers jobs
- Ghafari Associates8 mechanical systems engineers jobs
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Compare different mechanical systems engineers
Mechanical systems engineer vs. Engineer
Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects. They should also be well-versed in different construction or industrial materials, and they ensure that appropriate materials are used for the project. They also ensure that the projects meet the requirements of the groups that hired them. They create spaces that would both address the needs of the end-users and the industry standards. They also ensure that the projects they make would stand the test of time.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, mechanical systems engineer responsibilities require skills like "mechanical systems," "system design," "mechanical design," and "powerpoint." Meanwhile a typical engineer has skills in areas such as "python," "cloud," "c++," and "c #." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Engineers tend to make the most money working in the automotive industry, where they earn an average salary of $97,672. In contrast, mechanical systems engineers make the biggest average salary, $103,372, in the professional industry.The education levels that engineers earn slightly differ from mechanical systems engineers. In particular, engineers are 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a mechanical systems engineer. Additionally, they're 0.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Mechanical systems engineer vs. Staff engineer
Staff engineers are responsible for designing, developing, and inspecting various products, equipment, or structures. These professionals may perform varied duties depending on their specialization that includes overseeing the design and construction of buildings, bridges, sewer systems, and other infrastructure, estimating the financial costs of construction projects, and ensuring compliance with health and safety laws and regulations. Other duties include designing and developing machinery, tools, and engines, solving design problems, and building the manufacturing equipment needed to create their products.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that mechanical systems engineer responsibilities requires skills like "mechanical systems," "solidworks," "fea," and "mechanical design." But a staff engineer might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "java," "python," "architecture," and "software development."
On average, staff engineers earn a higher salary than mechanical systems engineers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, staff engineers earn the most pay in the telecommunication industry with an average salary of $119,079. Whereas mechanical systems engineers have higher pay in the professional industry, with an average salary of $103,372.In general, staff engineers achieve similar levels of education than mechanical systems engineers. They're 3.2% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for mechanical systems engineers in the next 3-5 years?
Andrea Welker Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Engineering Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Villanova University
Mechanical systems engineer vs. Tool engineer
A tooling engineer is responsible for creating and adjusting tools or parts for cars, heavy equipment, and other products that need customized or personalized components. Your duties and responsibilities will include creating design blueprints, using computer-aided (CAD) software to develop two- and three-dimensional prints, and validating and evaluating products. As a tooling engineer, it is your responsibility to ensure compliance with operational standards such as the ISO 9000. You also have to provide technical assistance to manufacturing personnel and quality assurance.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from mechanical systems engineer resumes include skills like "mechanical systems," "system design," "mechanical design," and "powerpoint," whereas a tool engineer is more likely to list skills in "python," "java," "linux," and "jenkins. "
Tool engineers make a very good living in the technology industry with an average annual salary of $94,406. On the other hand, mechanical systems engineers are paid the highest salary in the professional industry, with average annual pay of $103,372.tool engineers typically earn similar educational levels compared to mechanical systems engineers. Specifically, they're 5.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Mechanical systems engineer vs. Product engineer
A product engineer specializes in designing and developing commercial materials and services. They are primarily responsible for conducting thorough research and analysis of the latest trends and marketing conditions to come up with new ideas and products for the public. Moreover, they are also responsible for producing reports and presentations, coordinating with the development team of their company. Product engineers also reach out to vendors and suppliers for the raw materials, set regulations and standards for the product, and even conduct a rigorous and regular quality check.
Types of mechanical systems engineer
Updated January 8, 2025
