Mechanical Engineering Internship

Role Overview

This is a hands-on mechanical design position at the center of a small engineering team developing renewable energy products for communities that need them most. Reporting directly to the Chief Technology Officer, you will split your time between CAD work, manufacturing drawings, and the workshop floor — turning concepts into parts that can actually be built, and built parts into products that hold up in the field. In a lean, fast-moving startup setting, your drawings, prototypes, and design calls have a direct line to whether a product performs reliably and remains affordable to produce.

Location: Nairobi, Kenya  |  Hours: Full-time  |  Reports to: Chief Technology Officer  |  Start date: November 2026  |  Duration: Ongoing, renewed annually

Key Responsibilities

• Contribute to the design and manufacturing of new products and accessories, from early concept through production readiness.
• Build, revise, and review 3D models within a Solid Edge environment, keeping assemblies accurate as designs evolve.
• Produce and maintain detailed, high-quality 2D manufacturing drawings that suppliers and internal teams can build from without ambiguity.
• Partner with part-time expert mechanical engineering contractors to work through design problems and pressure-test solutions.
• Prototype new concepts in-house using a lathe, vertical mill, power tools, 3D printer, and other shop equipment.
• Write and update documentation for assembly staff, quality control personnel, and customers, keeping existing materials current as products change.
• Gather customer feedback from the field and translate it into design changes that improve product performance, reliability, and manufacturability.
• Diagnose field failures through root cause analysis, then propose robust changes to either the design or the process — and monitor technical performance metrics to confirm results.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering with a specialization in design or manufacturing, awarded with second-class honors or higher.
• Solid grounding in mechanical engineering fundamentals: design practice, material selection, theoretical calculations, and manufacturing technologies.
• Proficiency with Solid Edge or a comparable 3D CAD package.
• Demonstrated experience building things with your own hands — evidence of practical, physical making matters as much as academic record.
• Hands-on familiarity with machine tools such as lathes, vertical mills, welding machines, and 3D printers.
• Strong metrology skills, including practical use of precision measurement tools and techniques.
• Ability to design and run experiments, including building the test setups and fixtures they require.
• Basic data analysis and reporting capability, including comfort using Excel to organize and present test results.
• Sharp analytical thinking with exceptional attention to detail, and the independence to solve problems without constant supervision.
• Confident written and verbal communication, plus working knowledge of the MS Office suite.
• Recent graduates and soon-to-be graduates with a genuine interest in renewable energy and social impact are strongly encouraged to apply.

What We Offer / Why Join

• The chance to apply your engineering skills to life-changing solutions for communities in need, in a sector where the work carries visible social impact.
• A dynamic, fast-paced startup environment where frugal prototyping is the norm and resourcefulness is valued over process for its own sake.
• Direct collaboration with the Chief Technology Officer and seasoned mechanical engineering contractors, giving you exposure to a wide range of design challenges.
• An ongoing role with an annually renewable contract, offering stability alongside the variety of a product portfolio that keeps growing.
• Ownership across the full lifecycle — modeling, drawing, prototyping, documentation, and field feedback — rather than a narrow slice of it.