About this role
About the Role
Join a small defense technology engineering team developing autonomous, field-deployed directed energy systems. As Principal Mechanical Engineer, you will own system-level mechanical architecture and help take complex hardware from prototype through production and deployment.
What You'll Do
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Lead mechanical architecture across the system and integrate it with electrical, power, embedded, and optics disciplines.
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Make technical decisions on challenging engineering problems from concept through production readiness.
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Guide hardware release and production processes in close collaboration with the manufacturing team.
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Identify technical risks early and review designs, analyses, documentation, and release standards.
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Perform hands-on design and analysis when your experience can resolve difficult problems quickly.
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Balance cost, mass, reliability, schedule, and field performance in design and manufacturing decisions.
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Share technical judgment and mentor engineers through direct collaboration and example.
What We're Looking For
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At least 10 years of experience designing and shipping complex hardware systems.
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Mechanical design as your primary discipline, including recent personal CAD and engineering analysis work.
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Repeated experience taking hardware from prototype through manufacturing and field deployment.
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Experience designing ruggedized systems for real-world conditions and correlating FEA or hand calculations with test data.
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Strong mechanical expertise, with sound technical judgment in electrical engineering, power electronics, or embedded systems.
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Experience owning mechanical architecture and integrating multiple engineering disciplines.
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A senior individual contributor or technical lead background at a hardware company that has shipped products.
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Relevant backgrounds may include defense, aerospace, high-performance automotive, maritime, robotics, or directed energy.
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Experience with lasers or high-power systems, thermal management, gimbals or beam directors, military qualification standards, or production line development is useful.
Compensation & Benefits
Base salary is $235,000 to $305,000 USD annually. Visa sponsorship is not available. Equity and benefits details were not provided.
Location
This is an on-site role in San Francisco, California, United States.