Principal​/Lead Mechanical Engineer Torrance, California,

Neros is a defense technology company rebuilding America’s drone industrial base. We design and manufacture high-performance unmanned systems that are tested in combat, iterated at startup speed, and built at massive scale. Our team culture is fast, hands‑on, and obsessed with closing the gap between design and deployment.

As drones transform the character of warfare, Neros is delivering the systems the West needs to compete on the modern battlefield and deter the adversaries of democracy. We’re hiring engineers, operators, and builders who want to move fast, take on extreme ownership, and get capability into the hands of warfighters in months, not years.

As a Lead Mechanical Engineer at Neros, you will own products or key subsystems, starting from the conceptual design phase all the way through mass production. This is a dynamic and exciting role at a rapidly growing startup and presents an opportunity to be a foundational member of the Mechanical Engineering team. We are looking for passionate, skilled, and hands‑on engineers that take pride in delivering best‑in‑class hardware.

• Own all aspects of hardware design to optimize for performance, high‑volume manufacturability, and cost
• Gather requirements and translate these into defensible engineering architectures and decisions
• Perform detailed design trades by effectively leveraging CAD, FEA tools, prototyping, and engineering first principles
• Participate in and lead design reviews
• Create high‑quality engineering drawings
• Root cause hardware failures and manufacturing issues
• Work with the Manufacturing and Supply Chain teams on build instructions, production tooling/fixtures, and vendor selection. Own these items yourself where necessary
• Plan and execute validation testing for your designs, working with the Flight Test team and other engineering teams as appropriate
• Develop, mentor, and train peers and colleagues. Lead engineers will often manage more junior engineers directly

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field
• 8+ years of experience in fast‑paced engineering/manufacturing environments
• Strong engineering fundamentals and the ability to solve problems through first principles thinking
• Experience with CAD software like Solidworks or NX

• Experience managing and leading an engineering team
• Experience piloting, working with, or designing UAVs (including as a hobby!)
• Experience working in a high volume, cost‑sensitive industry like consumer electronics or automotive
• Broad knowledge of manufacturing processes and their appropriate applications
• Experience with packaging and integration of PCBAs, batteries, and RF components
• Familiarity with electrical and electromechanical components like BLDC motors and optical sensors
• Experience designing for harsh environments
• Subject matter expertise in an analysis discipline: structural, vibration, thermal, CFD, etc.
• Experience with Teamcenter or similar PDM systems
• Hands‑on fabrication skills (general shop tools, manual machining, welding, CNC machining, etc.)

$160,000 - $210,000 USD

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are considered part of Neros’ total compensation package.

We’re an equal opportunity employer. We welcome all applicants without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.