Mechanical Engineer

Mechanical Engineer (Thermal & Ruggedized Systems)

Employment Type: Full-Time (Permanent) and Contract-to-Hire Opportunities Available

Experience Level: 3–10 Years

We are seeking talented Mechanical Engineers to join a growing engineering organization focused on designing and developing high-performance, rugged computing platforms for demanding commercial, industrial, and defense applications. We are actively hiring for both a permanent position and an additional contract-to-hire role.

This position is ideal for engineers who enjoy solving complex thermal and mechanical design challenges, working in multidisciplinary teams, and developing products that operate reliably in harsh environments. You'll play a key role in taking customer requirements from concept through design, analysis, testing, documentation, and production.

As a Mechanical Engineer, you will be responsible for the design and development of rugged computer systems, enclosures, and thermal management solutions. The role requires a balance of hands‑on engineering design, analysis, and cross‑functional collaboration with systems, electrical, software, and program management teams.

The majority of your time will be focused on product development, mechanical design, documentation, and engineering execution, with simulation activities supporting critical design decisions throughout the product lifecycle.

• Design ruggedized computer systems, chassis, and enclosures for commercial, industrial, and defense applications.
• Develop thermal management solutions utilizing:
  • Conduction cooling
  • Design packaging solutions for:
    • Rack-mounted server platforms
    • Embedded computing systems
    • Vehicle-mounted systems
    • Avionics and mission-critical applications
• Perform mechanical and thermal analyses to validate design performance.
• Utilize Solid Works and simulation tools to evaluate:
  • Shock resilience
  • Thermal behavior and heat transfer
• Support thermal characterization, testing, and verification activities.
• Create and maintain engineering documentation including drawings, test reports, design packages, BOMs, and release documentation.
• Collaborate with systems, electrical, software, and manufacturing teams throughout the product development lifecycle.
• Participate in design reviews and support continuous product improvement initiatives.
• Translate broad or ambiguous customer requirements into actionable engineering solutions.

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field.
• 3–10 years of mechanical product design experience.
• Experience designing electronic systems and hardware enclosures.
• Strong understanding of:
  • Thermodynamics
  • Heat transfer
  • Conduction cooling
  • Forced convection/fan cooling
• Experience developing products for demanding or rugged operating environments.
• Proficiency with 3D CAD tools, preferably Solid Works.
• Strong mechanical design fundamentals, including materials, tolerancing, manufacturability, and product development processes.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.

• Experience with rugged electronics packaging, including:
  • Defense systems
  • Vehicle-mounted computing platforms
  • Avionics packaging
• Familiarity with MIL-STD-810 environmental requirements and testing.
• Experience performing Solid Works Simulation analyses including:
  • Thermal analysis
  • Shock analysis
  • Vibration analysis
• Background in computer hardware, server systems, embedded systems, or defense electronics packaging.
• Experience supporting in-house simulation and analysis efforts throughout product development.

• Comfortable working in environments with evolving requirements and ambiguity.
• Able to take high-level customer objectives and convert them into clear engineering plans and deliverables.
• Self-directed and proactive problem solvers.
• Effective collaborators who thrive in cross-functional teams.
• Detail-oriented while maintaining a strong systems-level perspective.

You will join a collaborative engineering organization of approximately 12–15 engineers consisting of both full-time employees and contractors. The core engineering team is based in Escondido and includes…