Senior Mechanical Engineer

About the role

Applicants must be U.S. Citizens or U.S. Permanent Residents (Green Card holders) to meet customer and regulatory requirements

A couple other things

• We are open to relocating you
• We have great benefits
• We are well funded, and already generating revenue
• We are located in beautiful Hawthorne, CA and just moved into a new large hangar facility

What you'll do

We are seeking a versatile, high-impact Engineer to lead the development of mission-critical hardware. This is a "full-lifecycle" role where you will own everything from the initial conversion of ambiguous concepts into rigorous requirements to the hands-on assembly and environmental qualification of flight hardware.

• Requirements Architecture: Translate high-level, ambiguous mission needs into actionable functional and operational requirements for complex electromechanical systems.
• Precision Mechanism Design: Design and iterate on electromagnetic actuators and intricate mechanisms, integrating components such as precision gears, bearings, lead screws, braking systems, and encoders.
• Ruggedized Avionics: Develop high-performance avionics enclosures, focusing on innovative thermal management (heat rejection) and structural survivability in extreme, high-vibration, or vacuum environments.
• Environmental Qualification: Architect the test equipment and methodologies required for formal hardware qualification, ensuring total compliance with DO-160 and MIL-STD-810 standards.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Act as a technical anchor across the organization, guiding integration efforts and supporting multidisciplinary teams through complex system testing.
• Supply Chain & Quality Advocacy: Partner closely with external suppliers to ensure the delivery of conforming hardware; proactively manage manufacturing deviations to maintain rigorous quality and schedule standards.
• Hands-on Execution: Maintain a "design-build-test" mindset, taking personal responsibility for the assembly, bring-up, and debugging of your own hardware prototypes.

What you need

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Experience: 5+ years of experience through the full product lifecycle-from initial ideation and prototyping to high-fidelity production.
• Technical Expertise: A deep intuition for electromagnetic principles and a mastery of mechanical load paths and load cases.
• Analysis & Simulation: Proficiency in sizing analysis for strength, fatigue, and life cycles of actuator components (gears, shafts, housings).
• CAD Mastery: Advanced design experience in SolidWorks (or equivalent 3D modeling packages), including complex assemblies and configuration management.
• Manufacturing & GD&T: Fluency in ASME Y14.5 GD&T standards; ability to produce high-quality 2D drawings and collaborate with vendors to solve DFM (Design for Manufacturing) hurdles.
• Standards & Qualification: Proven track record of qualifying hardware against rigorous aerospace or military standards (DO-160, MIL-STD-810).
• Grit: A "builder" mindset-you are as comfortable at a computer as you are in the lab spinning wrenches and debugging your own hardware.

Nice to have

• Qualification: Experience designing custom test equipment, writing formal procedures, and executing complex qualification test campaigns.
• Gearbox Specialization: Detailed knowledge of AGMA Standards, gearbox design analysis (ratios, backlash, lubrication), and specialized fabrication methods.
• Process Versatility: Experience navigating both high-compliance, "heavy" programs and fast-paced, lean R&D environments.

What we have to offer

• We are not just building components.
• We are reshaping the future of the Aerospace and Defense component industry, which is a $300B+ market!
• Come join us and help build next generation systems that will make a massive impact at global scale.

• We offer competitive compensation: $160,000 to $190,000 base salary + equity
• Exceptional healthcare benefits, Medical is 100% covered by the company
• Flexible PTO
• 401K
• More to come!