Sr Principal Mechanical Engineer

Principal / Senior Principal Mechanical Engineer

Location: Los Angeles Metropolitan Area
Employment Type: Full-Time
Work Arrangement: On-Site
Department: Engineering

An advanced aerospace and defense technology company is seeking a Principal or Senior Principal Mechanical Engineer to lead the mechanical design, integration, and development of complex defense systems and field-deployable platforms.

This is a senior technical role for an engineer who has experience taking complex mechanical systems from architecture and requirements through detailed design, integration, testing, and production. The position will involve significant ownership of mechanical architecture and interfaces across hardware, electronics, structures, and larger vehicle or deployable platforms.

Depending on background, the role may focus more heavily on launcher systems and aerospace/defense hardware or on large-scale platform integration and ruggedized sensor/electronics systems
.

The ideal candidate is highly experienced, technically independent, and comfortable operating as a mechanical authority while also providing direction and mentorship to other engineers.

• Lead mechanical architecture, design, and system integration for complex aerospace and defense hardware.
• Define mechanical and electro-mechanical interfaces between payloads, electronics, structures, vehicles, launch systems, and other major subsystems.
• Develop detailed mechanical designs and large assemblies using modern CAD tools.
• Establish and manage mechanical requirements, specifications, interface control documents (ICDs), tolerances, and design criteria.
• Lead integration of hardware onto mobile, vehicle-mounted, trailer-mounted, maritime, or other deployable platforms.
• Design hardware for demanding environments involving vibration, shock, thermal extremes, dust, sand, corrosion, and other environmental conditions.
• Develop solutions for structural, thermal, environmental, and mechanical protection of sensitive hardware.
• Where applicable, design and integrate launcher mechanisms, retention and release systems, deployment mechanisms, safing features, and related electromechanical systems.
• Where applicable, integrate complex sensor and electronics packages onto large platforms, including mounts, brackets, enclosures, thermal-management systems, sealing, and vibration isolation.
• Evaluate system-level interactions between mechanical, electrical, electronics, controls, and platform-level requirements.
• Support requirements definition, design reviews, prototyping, qualification testing, and production transition.
• Work with suppliers and manufacturing partners to develop, review, and validate technical designs and deliverables.
• Serve as a senior technical point of contact for mechanical hardware with suppliers, manufacturing partners, customers, and internal engineering teams.
• Identify integration risks early and drive technical solutions across multiple engineering disciplines.
• Support configuration control, production readiness, field deployment, and resolution of hardware issues.
• Mentor and provide technical direction to less-experienced mechanical engineers.
• Help establish design standards, engineering processes, and lessons learned that can be applied across future programs.

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline
  .
• 10+ years of progressively responsible mechanical design and system integration experience in aerospace, defense, or a similarly demanding industry.
• Demonstrated experience owning complex mechanical systems from concept through detailed design, integration, testing, and/or production.
• Strong mechanical CAD skills and experience with large assemblies and complex mechanical interfaces
  .
• Strong understanding of structural design, mechanisms, tolerancing, alignment, installation requirements, and system integration.
• Experience defining mechanical requirements and interfaces, including specifications and ICDs.
• Experience integrating mechanical systems with electronics, sensors, power, data, connectors, or other electromechanical components.
• Experience designing or integrating hardware for harsh or field-deployed environments.
• Familiarity with environmental qualification requirements and military standards such as MIL-STD-810
  .
• Demonstrated ability to identify and resolve cross-disciplinary integration challenges.
• Strong engineering judgment and the ability to make practical decisions across competing technical requirements.
• Ability to operate independently as a technical authority while collaborating effectively across engineering disciplines.
• Strong communication and technical leadership skills.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance
  .

Candidates with one or more of the following backgrounds may be especially well suited:

• Missile, rocket, UAV, or other launcher system design and integration.
• Mechanical architecture of launcher systems…