Staff Engineer, Mechanical (R5482)

Job Description:

We are seeking a Staff Mechanical Engineer who can lead complex hardware efforts from concept through deployment. This individual will own mechanical design and system integration while developing high-quality, production-ready engineering definitions.

The ideal candidate combines system-level technical leadership with deep, hands-on experience in 3D CAD, 2D production drawings, advanced GD&T, material selection, and manufacturing processes. This role will integrate electronics, RF systems, and composite structures into rugged, field-ready airborne platforms.

What you'll do:

• Lead mechanical design and integration for airborne or ruggedized systems from concept through production and field deployment.
• Develop and review complex 3D CAD models, assemblies, interfaces, 2D production drawings, BOMs, and release packages.
• Establish functional datum structures, apply advanced GD&T, and perform tolerance analyses to ensure fit, function, interchangeability, and inspectability.
• Own system-level packaging of electronics, including radios, antennas, PCBAs, and harnessing.
• Design components and assemblies using metallics, plastics, composites, elastomers, adhesives, and other engineering materials.
• Select appropriate materials and manufacturing processes based on structural, thermal, environmental, producibility, cost, and schedule requirements.
• Design for manufacturing processes including CNC machining, additive manufacturing, injection molding, composite fabrication, sheet metal, and bonded assembly.
• Drive cross-functional collaboration across electrical, RF, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and test teams.
• Serve as technical or project lead on select efforts, managing scope, schedule, risk, and technical execution.
• Lead design reviews and guide structural, thermal, tolerance, environmental, and manufacturability analyses.
• Support prototype builds, qualification, production integration, troubleshooting, and root-cause investigations.
• Ensure designs meet reliability, manufacturability, inspectability, maintainability, and performance requirements.

Required qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering field.
• 8+ years of mechanical design and product-development experience, including demonstrated ownership of complex products or subsystems from concept through production.
• Advanced proficiency in GD&T and ASME Y14.5, including functional datum selection, position, profile, form and orientation controls, composite feature control frames, tolerance-zone modifiers, and design for inspection.
• Deep experience creating and releasing detailed 2D production drawings for complex parts and assemblies, demonstrated through a substantial body of work
• Strong proficiency with a production CAD platform such as NX, Creo, CATIA, SolidWorks, or Inventor, including complex part modeling, large assemblies, drawing creation, and revision-controlled release.
• Experience developing hardware using a broad range of materials, including metallics, engineering plastics, composites, elastomers, and structural adhesives.
• Practical design-for-manufacturing experience across multiple processes, including CNC machining, additive manufacturing, injection molding, composite fabrication, sheet metal, and bonded or mechanically fastened assembly.
• Strong understanding of material selection, tolerance analysis, manufacturing variation, assembly processes, and inspection methods.
• Proven ability to work cross-functionally with manufacturing, quality, electrical engineering, supply chain, technicians, suppliers, and machine shops.
• Demonstrated ability to independently lead technical decisions and resolve complex design, manufacturing, and integration problems.

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience with Siemens NX and Teamcenter.
• Experience designing and integrating airborne, aerospace, defense, or other ruggedized hardware.
• Experience packaging radios, antennas, PCBAs, sensors, connectors, and embedded electronics.
• Familiarity with coaxial cables, RF cables, wiring harnesses, bend-radius requirements, and connector integration.
• Experience designing composite structures and hybrid composite-metal assemblies.
• Understanding of electronics thermal management, grounding, shielding, and EMI/EMC considerations.
• Familiarity with environmental requirements involving vibration, shock, temperature, corrosion, and ingress protection.
• Experience with ground support equipment, test fixtures, or qualification hardware.
• Hands-on experience supporting prototype builds, production, environmental testing, and field troubleshooting.

Leadership expectations:

• Act as the technical lead for complex projects, systems, or major subsystems.
• Lead design reviews and make sound technical decisions with incomplete information.
• Review and approve CAD models, engineering drawings, tolerance schemes, material selections, and manufacturing approaches.
• Mentor engineers in mechanical design, GD&T, drawing creation, material selection, and design for manufacturing.
• Balance development speed with the rigor required to deliver reliable, production-ready aerospace hardware.