Mechanical Systems Architect, Defense Hardware

Kform is a next-generation defense manufacturer turning breakthrough ideas into field-ready hardware. If you like solving concrete, physical problems and seeing designs become real products fast, you’ll feel at home here.

Morning might start with translating a customer requirement into a clean mechanical architecture in Solid Works. By midday you’re on the shop floor checking a first article, talking tolerances with a machinist, and iterating a fixture. The afternoon could be running a thermal test, logging results, and calling a supplier about coatings. You’ll finish by updating documentation and folding production feedback into the next rev.

You’ll move fluidly between:

• CAD and assemblies
• Hands-on prototypes and quick-turn fabrication
• Machine shops and inspection tools
• Test benches and instrumentation
• Supplier and vendor conversations
• Production feedback loops
• Customer and program requirements

• End-to-end mechanical design for complex products: assemblies, ruggedized enclosures, mounts/brackets/panels/structural elements, mechanisms/interfaces, thermal features, fixtures/tooling, test equipment, and production-ready components.
• Creation of detailed models, drawings, and assemblies in Solid Works (or comparable), with production-grade dimensions, tolerances, notes, finishes, and revision control.
• Translation of field conditions and system constraints into practical, manufacturable designs.
• Design within real constraints: packaging, weight, thermal behavior, environmental exposure, shock/vibration, EMI/shielding, assembly sequence, serviceability, cost, and lead time.
• Rapid prototyping: build, assemble, instrument, inspect, and troubleshoot prototypes and production-intent hardware.
• Planning and executing validation for fit/function, structural performance, durability, thermal response, manufacturability, assembly process, safety, and reliability.
• Failure analysis, test data review, and evidence-driven design improvements.
• Clear, complete documentation: CAD, drawings, BOMs, revision history, assembly instructions, test reports, design rationale, and trade studies.
• Cross-functional optimization with manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and program teams for manufacturability, assembly, inspection, cost, schedule, and reliability.
• Direct collaboration with machinists, fabricators, vendors, and production to close the loop between intent and output.
• Mentorship of junior engineers—modeling rigor, documentation discipline, practical problem-solving, and ownership.
• Independent ownership of smaller engineering projects from ambiguous inputs to delivered outcomes.
• Continuous improvement of Kform’s engineering and manufacturing systems.

Curious, Practical, Disciplined, And Biased Toward Action. You’re Comfortable With Ambiguity, Eager To Understand The Whole System, And Able To Turn Partial Data Into Confident Progress. You Can

• Develop designs at a CAD workstation
• Build or modify prototypes
• Inspect fabricated and machined parts
• Bridge mechanical–electrical interfaces
• Gather feedback on the production floor
• Plan and run tests
• Diagnose failures and explain your reasoning

• BS in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Aerospace, Manufacturing Engineering, or related field.
• 3–5 years in mechanical design, product development, prototyping, test, manufacturing engineering, or multidisciplinary hardware development.
• Strong fundamentals: CAD modeling; assemblies; materials; tolerancing; fabrication methods; structural design; design for manufacturability.
• Advanced proficiency in Solid Works (or similar mechanical CAD).
• Ability to produce production-quality drawings with full GD&T awareness, notes, finishes, and revision control.
• Hands-on experience with rapid prototyping, shop tools, inspection equipment, test equipment, and physical hardware.
• Working knowledge of adjacent domains: electronics packaging, cable routing, thermal management, embedded integration, manufacturing, quality, test, and systems integration.
• Clear documentation habits and strong problem-solving; able to contribute independently and on multidisciplinary teams.

• High-accountability startup…