Mechanical Engineer - Design, build, and test flight hardware for a supersonic interceptor

El Segundo, California | On-site

Opportunity Summary

We are adding several mechanical engineers to design, fabricate, and test the structures and mechanisms inside a next-generation interceptor. You will move parts and assemblies from CAD through fabrication and test, then watch them fly. Reporting to the mechanical lead, you will get regular design reviews and mentorship from senior engineers.

You will also work daily with propulsion, aerodynamics, controls, and electrical engineers. On a team this size, you will get more ownership and more hands-on time with flight hardware than most engineers see early in their careers.

About Us

We are a seed-stage, venture-backed defense technology company building affordable, modular interceptors for air and missile defense, with surface-launched and space-based platforms in development. The team has already demonstrated autonomous intercepts and is moving quickly from prototype hardware into flight testing from our South Bay facility. We are a small group of engineers and operators who design, build, and test in-house, with a clear path toward scaled production for government customers.

Job Duties

• Design brackets, housings, structural parts, and mechanisms for the vehicle
• Build CAD models and assemblies, and release clear drawings with GD&T
• Use hand calculations and FEA to confirm parts survive launch, flight, and vibration environments
• Work with machine shops and vendors to get parts built, and inspect them on receipt
• Fabricate and modify parts, fixtures, and assemblies in the in-house shop
• Assemble and integrate hardware alongside the propulsion, avionics, and controls teams
• Design and build test fixtures, then run structural, vibration, and environmental tests
• Document results and use test data to iterate designs
• Present in design reviews and solve packaging, routing, and interface challenges with other teams

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related field
• 2+ years designing and building hardware (student rocketry, Formula SAE, and similar project teams count)
• Solid CAD skills with assemblies and drawings
• Working knowledge of structural analysis, including hand calculations and FEA
• Comfortable in a hands-on shop and test environment
• U.S. Person status required (ITAR) and ability to obtain a U.S. security clearance

Preferred Experience

• Hardware experience on missiles, rockets, UAVs, or other aerospace vehicles
• Manual or CNC mill and lathe experience
• GD&T and tolerance stack-up experience
• Composites or high-temperature materials experience
• Vibration, shock, or thermal test experience

Why Join Us

• See your designs go from CAD to flight on an accelerated timeline
• Direct mentorship and design reviews from senior and lead engineers
• Broad exposure across structures, mechanisms, integration, and test
• In-house shop for fast, hands-on iteration
• Early equity in a seed-stage company with a rapidly growing team
• Mission with direct national security impact

Compensation Details

$100,000 - $135,000 + equity