NextAero is a growing technology company developing bespoke fluid testing equipment for the aerospace, transport, energy, and chemical sectors. We deliver complex, high-value engineering projects in the $300k to $1m range, and our clients rely on us to execute them with precision.

We are expanding our engineering team and seeking a Senior Mechanical Design Engineer who thrives on technically demanding, hands-on engineering projects.

This role is suited to an experienced engineer with strong analytical and practical skills who enjoys developing complex mechanical and fluid systems, solving challenging engineering problems, and seeing designs progress through manufacture, testing, and commissioning.

The Role

As a Senior Mechanical Design Engineer at NextAero, you will take responsibility for the engineering design and development of complex fluid machinery and testing systems, with a strong emphasis on technical performance, operational safety, and reliability.

You will work across the engineering lifecycle, from initial feasibility studies and conceptual design through to detailed engineering, assembly, testing, and commissioning.

Your work will involve fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, heat and mass transfer, pressure systems, mechanical behaviour, and the integration of interacting engineering subsystems. You will develop engineering calculations, assess system performance, specify equipment, and evaluate design alternatives to meet customer requirements.

A key part of this role is understanding how a complete system will operate, including its expected performance, operating limits, potential failure modes, and associated safety requirements. You will be expected to identify engineering risks, develop appropriate safeguards,



and ensure designs are supported by sound engineering analysis and relevant standards.

You will work closely with mechanical designers, project engineers, and technical staff to translate engineering concepts into practical machinery. While CAD and detailed mechanical design form part of the broader engineering process, your primary contribution will be the engineering judgement and system-level understanding that underpin protected and reliable designs.

This is not a purely desk-based role. You will participate in the testing, troubleshooting, and iterative improvement of equipment, using experimental results and operational experience to validate and refine engineering designs.

As a senior member of our engineering team, you will exercise independent technical judgement, participate in design reviews, and provide technical guidance to less experienced engineers.

Location & Travel: NextAero is based in Clayton South, Melbourne. The role combines office-based engineering design with hands-on activities in our workshop and regional Victorian testing facilities. Remote work is supported where practical. Occasional travel to testing facilities, suppliers, and client sites is required.

Commencement: Immediate start preferred due to current project delivery requirements.

Key Responsibilities

System Design:



Develop engineering designs for complex fluid machinery, pressure systems, and testing equipment, ensuring performance, safety, and reliability requirements are satisfied.

Engineering Analysis: Perform calculations and analysis involving fluid flow, pressure losses, thermodynamics, heat transfer, mechanical behaviour, and system performance.

Equipment Selection & Sizing: Specify and size pumps, valves, regulators, piping, pressure equipment, instrumentation, and associated mechanical components.

Safety Engineering: Identify hazards, evaluate potential failure modes, establish safe operating limits, and incorporate appropriate engineering controls and safeguards into system designs.

Design Development: Evaluate engineering concepts and alternatives through technical trade‑off analysis, balancing performance, safety, reliability, cost, and manufacturability.

Engineering Standards: Identify, interpret, and apply relevant engineering standards, codes, and regulatory requirements to machinery and pressure system designs.

Systems Integration: Understand and manage the interactions between fluid, mechanical, thermal, instrumentation, and control subsystems.

Verification & Validation: Develop engineering calculations, analytical models, simulations, and testing methods to demonstrate that systems meet their design requirements.

Technical Problem Solving: Investigate discrepancies between predicted and measured system performance, identify root causes, and develop practical engineering solutions.

Technical Documentation: Prepare engineering calculations, design reports, specifications, risk assessments, and supporting technical documentation.

Technical Leader

📌 Senior Mechanical Design Engineer (Australia)
🏢 NextAero
📍 Australia