Principal / Senior Principal Mechanical Engineer

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

About the Opportunity

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.

What You'll Do

• 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.

What We're Looking For

• 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.

Particularly Relevant Experience

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

Aerospace / Launcher Systems

• Missile, rocket, UAV, or other launcher system design and integration.
• Mechanical architecture of launcher systems across ground or maritime platforms.
• Experience with blast, plume, thermal, structural, or dynamic effects associated with rocket or missile systems.
• Launch sequencing, safety interlocks, safing features, or related system-safety requirements.
• Mechanical and electromechanical interfaces between missiles, canisters, launchers, and platforms.
• Design of deployment, retention, release, or actuation mechanisms.
• Experience serving as a mechanical technical authority on a weapons or aerospace program.

Large-Platform / Sensor Integration

• Integration of sensors, electronics, or payload systems onto large vehicles, trailers, ships, or other mobile platforms.
• Multi-sensor or multispectral system integration.
• Ruggedized electronics and sensor hardware for military or government applications.
• Environmental hardening involving vibration, shock, thermal extremes, dust, sand, or corrosion.
• Thermal management for electronics in high-ambient-temperature environments.
• Vibration isolation and mechanical mounting-system design.
• Experience translating laboratory or small-platform hardware into field-deployable systems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline.
• Prior experience serving as a mechanical technical authority or senior technical owner on a complex program.
• Experience planning, instrumenting, and executing hardware tests.
• Experience with mechanisms, actuation systems, or deployable structures.
• Experience with system-level requirements allocation and technical trade studies.
• Experience with vehicle, maritime, or other large-platform integration.
• Experience with shock, vibration, transport, and operational load environments.
• Experience with FEA or multiphysics tools such as NASTRAN, ABAQUS, ANSYS, COMSOL, or similar.
• Knowledge of manufacturing and assembly processes for deployable or mobile mechanical systems.
• Experience with prototyping, additive manufacturing, CNC machining, or other fabrication methods.
• Familiarity with ruggedized military connector systems and associated power/data interfaces.
• Experience managing or technically directing supplier design activities.

What Success Looks Like

In the first year, you will be expected to:

• Establish or improve mechanical architecture and design requirements for assigned systems.
• Take ownership of critical mechanical interfaces and integration challenges.
• Drive hardware designs through meaningful development milestones toward testing and production.
• Identify integration, environmental, manufacturing, and installation risks early enough to prevent costly rework.
• Provide technical direction and mentorship to other engineers.
• Establish repeatable mechanical design and integration practices that improve future programs.
• Serve as a trusted technical authority across engineering, manufacturing, suppliers, and other stakeholders.

Why This Role

This is an opportunity for a senior mechanical engineer to have significant technical ownership over complex aerospace and defense hardware rather than operating within a narrowly defined design function.

The role offers exposure to system architecture, mechanical design, hardware integration, environmental qualification, supplier development, testing, and production, with the opportunity to influence both current programs and the engineering practices used on future platforms.

The company is looking for engineers who bring deep technical expertise but also understand the realities of deploying hardware in demanding operational environments—engineers who can identify what they don't know, learn from real-world integration challenges, and make sound engineering decisions under uncertainty.

Compensation & Benefits

Base Salary: $180,000 – $260,000, depending on level, experience, and qualifications.

Additional benefits and compensation may include:

• Competitive benefits package
• Opportunities for long-term career growth and technical leadership
• Relocation support, where applicable

This is a full-time, on-site position in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area.