Mechanical Engineer

Kform is a next-generation defense manufacturer helping leading defense and dual-use startups turn advanced technology into producible hardware. We work across design, engineering, prototyping, manufacturing, quality, and production readiness to move critical products from concept to fielded reality.

We are recruiting mechanical engineers who want to build real systems, solve hard physical problems, and move fast enough to meet the timelines defense technology demands. The battlefield waits weeks, not years.

The right person for this role has strong mechanical engineering depth and enough curiosity, range, and practical ability to work across the rest of the product development stack. You may be strongest in mechanical design, product architecture, thermal management, ruggedization, enclosures, fixtures, mechanisms, or manufacturing, but you want to understand how the whole machine works.

At Kform, you will not be trapped in a narrow lane. You will design, prototype, test, troubleshoot, document, and improve real hardware. You will work with engineers, technicians, machinists, suppliers, quality teams, customers, and production teams. You will learn the full scope of product development because you will be close to the work from idea to prototype to production.

This is one of the few places where mechanical engineers get to build things that matter, learn fast, and help strengthen American industrial capacity for defense.

The Role You will lead the mechanical design, prototyping, testing, and production readiness of complex hardware products for defense and dual-use customers. You will bring strong technical depth in mechanical engineering while working across electrical, embedded software, manufacturing, quality, and test domains.

This is a hands-on engineering role. You should be comfortable moving between:

CAD Prototypes

Machine shops

Test benches

Inspection tools

Supplier conversations

Production feedback

Customer requirements

We want people who read trade magazines, watch factory walkthroughs on You Tube, take things apart, study how products are made, and learn difficult skills because they cannot help themselves.

What You Will DoLead the mechanical design and development of complex hardware products, including:

Mechanical assemblies

Enclosures and ruggedized systems

Brackets, mounts, panels, and structural components

Thermal management features

Mechanisms and interfaces

Fixtures and tooling

Test equipment

Production-ready components

Create detailed mechanical designs, drawings, assemblies, and technical documentation in Solid Works.

Translate customer requirements, system constraints, and field-use conditions into practical mechanical designs.

Work across disciplines to understand how mechanical, electrical, software, manufacturing, and quality decisions affect the final product.

Design around real-world constraints, including:

Packaging Weight Thermal  performance

Environmental exposure

Shock and vibrationEMI and shielding considerations

Assembly sequence

Serviceability

Cost and lead time Rapidly prototype proof-of-concept designs using practical engineering judgment, fabrication tools, test equipment, and hands-on iteration.

Build, assemble, inspect, and troubleshoot prototypes and production-intent hardware.

Plan and execute testing to validate:

Fit and function

Structural performance

Durability

Thermal behavior

Manufacturability

Assembly process

Safety and reliability

Analyze test results, identify failure modes, and drive design improvements based on evidence.

Create and maintain engineering documentation, including:

CAD models

DrawingsBOMsRevision history

Assembly instructions

Test results

Design rationale

Technical trade studies

Collaborate with manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and program teams to improve designs for:

Manufacturability Assembly Inspection Cost Schedule Reliability Work  directly with machinists, fabricators, vendors, and production teams to close the loop between design intent and physical output.

Mentor junior engineers by modeling technical rigor, practical problem-solving, strong documentation, and extreme ownership.

Manage smaller engineering projects independently, driving them from ambiguous requirements to completed outcomes.

Contribute to continuous improvement across Kform’s engineering and manufacturing systems.

What We Are Looking For We are looking for a mechanical engineer with real technical depth and broad technical curiosity.

You should have strong mechanical engineering fundamentals and enough working knowledge of adjacent disciplines to build complete products with a multidisciplinary team.

You do not need to be an expert in everything. You do need to be the kind of person who wants to understand the whole system.

You should be comfortable in ambiguity, willing to make technical tradeoffs, and capable of turning incomplete information into forward progress. You should be able to:

Sit at a CAD workstation and develop a design

Build or modify a prototype

Inspect a machined or fabricated part Understand how…