Senior Mechanical Design Engineer - Structures | Take Ground Launcher Hardware from Prototype to ProductionGardena, CA | On-site
Opportunity SummaryA Series A, venture-backed defense company building low-cost air defense systems is growing its ground systems design team. This engineer will own the mechanical design of large structural hardware for vehicle-mounted launcher systems, turning working prototypes into production-ready designs built for medium-rate manufacturing.
Expect a mix of sheet metal, machined parts, weldments and actuated mechanisms that must hold up to weather, corrosion, shock and vibration. You will design with production in mind from day one, check your own designs with hand calcs and FEA, plan and support qualification testing, and work with a high degree of autonomy. The design group is small today, so this hire will help set design standards and mentor engineers as the team grows.
About UsWe are a Series A, venture-backed defense technology company in the Los Angeles area building affordable air defense systems designed for high-volume production. Our team includes engineers and operators from leading commercial space, defense technology and electric vehicle companies, and we design and build our subsystems in house so we can iterate and test quickly. Our focus now is taking proven prototypes into production at a scale traditional defense supply chains struggle to reach.
Job Duties- Own mechanical design of structural assemblies for ground launcher systems, from preliminary concepts through production release
- Mature existing prototypes into production variants, iterating quickly through build and test
- Design sheet metal, stamped, machined and welded components and actuated mechanisms with long-term high-volume manufacturing in mind
- Build special process considerations such as welding, coatings and corrosion protection into designs
- Perform first-pass structural analysis and FEA to validate designs, partnering with dedicated analysts on detailed work
- Define and support environmental and qualification testing, including shock, vibration and corrosion
- Produce detailed 3D models and engineering drawings with clear GD&T
- Work closely with manufacturing engineering on DFM, DFA and process selection
- Help establish PDM, revision control and design review practices for the team
- Mentor engineers and provide technical leadership as the design group expands
Qualifications- Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or a related field
- 7+ years of mechanical design experience on structural hardware
- Deep experience designing sheet metal, machined and welded parts and assemblies
- Expert-level 3D CAD, engineering drawing and GD&T skills
- Experience designing hardware for production, including DFM for sheet metal and weldments
- Working knowledge of structural analysis and FEA sufficient to validate your own designs
- Experience planning or supporting environmental testing such as shock, vibration and corrosion
- Ability to lead technical work independently with minimal oversight
- U.S. person as defined by ITAR
Preferred Experience- Background in aerospace structures, launch vehicle mechanisms, defense ground systems, automotive or large tooling design
- Experience with actuation, gimbals, deployable structures or landing mechanisms
- Designing for harsh environments and military standards such as MIL-STD-810
- Setting up or enforcing PDM and revision control systems
- Moving products from prototype into medium or high-rate production
- Mentoring or leading other design engineers
Why Join Us- Senior technical role on a small ground systems team with a direct path to design leadership
- Shape production designs for hardware that will be fielded at scale
- Hands-on work spanning design, analysis and test, with a fast build and test cadence
- Well-funded Series A company with strong demand
- Collaborative team from leading space, defense technology and EV companies
- Competitive salary with meaningful early-stage equity
Compensation Details$150,000 - $200,000 + equity
ITAR RequirementThis position requires access to technical data controlled under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Applicants must be U.S. persons as defined by 22 CFR 120.62.
