Director of Mechanical Engineering

Aerospace is at a turning point — costs are rising, supply chains are strained, and old ways of building can’t keep up. At Neon Aero, we’re breaking that mold. We move fast, think big, and combine start-up agility with aerospace expertise to design, build, and scale aircraft in ways the industry has never seen. Our team leverages automation, AI-driven tools, and a fully connected digital backbone to accelerate innovation and reduce barriers to production.

Here, you won’t just take a job — you’ll help reinvent how the world flies. If you’re ready to solve complex problems, push technology further, and work alongside some of the brightest minds in aerospace, this is your chance to make a real impact.

Neon is seeking a Director of Mechanical Engineering to lead the organization responsible for developing and delivering our next generation of complex hardware products. This role combines organizational leadership with hands‑on product development expertise, owning mechanical engineering capability, technical quality, and execution across multiple programs. The ideal candidate has built strong engineering teams and repeatedly taken complex mechanical or electromechanical hardware from an ambiguous starting point through architecture, design, prototype, validation, industrialization, production, and shipment.

Relevant experience may come from aerospace, consumer electronics, medical devices, robotics, automotive, industrial systems, or other demanding hardware environments.

• Lead and develop Neon’s Mechanical Engineering organization, including its people, technical capabilities, engineering standards, and organizational structure.
• Own mechanical engineering execution across multiple products and development programs from concept through production.
• Set the technical bar for mechanical architecture, design quality, analysis, GD&T, tolerancing, materials, mechanisms, and design documentation.
• Build fast, disciplined design‑build‑test cycles that help teams identify risks, learn from hardware, and converge on effective solutions.
• Ensure manufacturability, assembly, reliability, serviceability, cost, and production scalability are incorporated into product decisions from the beginning.
• Partner closely with electrical, embedded software, systems, test, manufacturing, industrial design, and supply chain teams to develop complex electromechanical products.
• Remain directly involved in critical architecture decisions, design reviews, prototype builds, failure investigations, and difficult technical problems.
• Own mechanical readiness for prototype and production builds, including supplier engagement, tooling, manufacturing process selection, tolerance management, inspection strategy, yield, and root‑cause resolution.
• Work full‑time in‑office at Neon’s Irvine location. Specific workload expectations and any extended‑hours requirements associated with builds, testing, or production milestones are [Manager to confirm].

• Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline; equivalent professional experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
• 10+ years of experience developing physical products, including meaningful ownership of hardware that reached production or customer deployment.
• 5+ years of experience leading mechanical engineering, product design, hardware engineering, or closely related technical teams.
• Demonstrated experience taking multiple products or complex subsystems from concept through production.
• Broad mechanical engineering fundamentals across structures, mechanisms, electromechanical systems, thermal systems, packaging, materials, and manufacturing.
• Strong understanding of mechanical design, CAD, GD&T, tolerance…