Lead Mechanical Engineer

ProFound People; Adelaide; On-site; AUD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

ProFound People partners with a fast-moving Adelaide defence-aerospace manufacturer to appoint a Lead Mechanical Engineer. You will bridge design and fabrication, setting direction and solving real-world problems on the shop floor, not just in theory.

You’ll lead technically, mentor engineers, and drive manufacturing-ready designs that meet stringent Defence and ITAR requirements. In this role, you’ll use hand calculations, targeted FEA, and rapid testing to deliver reliable solutions within

Qualifications

• Senior mechanical engineer with hands-on leadership in defence/aerospace.
• Experience delivering under tight deadlines in fast-moving environments.
• Hands-on, shop-floor oriented with real fabrication problem-solving.
• Australian citizenship and NV1 security clearance eligibility.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development and testing of mechanical systems and set the technical standard.
• Run rapid hand calculations to reach quick, defensible answers.
• Own structural analysis focused on weight reduction and strength.
• Conduct design reviews, risk assessments, and failure investigations.
• Collaborate with machinists, fabricators and assembly teams to resolve issues.
• Drive design-for-manufacturability improvements while maintaining safety and performance.
• Mentor junior engineers and build a high-performing team culture.
• Ensure designs meet Defence, AS9100, ISO and ITAR requirements.

Skills

Hand-calc mindset

Defence & aerospace experience

Shop-floor problem solving

Mentoring engineers

Design reviews

Engineering judgement

Mechanical design

Fast-paced delivery

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

CPEng or equivalent

Tools

ANSYS

NASTRAN

HyperMesh/OptiStruct

SolidWorks

MATLAB

Excel

Job description

Lead Mechanical Engineer - Defence Aerospace

Are you a hands-on mechanical engineer who's tired of being one more small cog in a slow, giant machine? Tired of your best work disappearing into a review cycle that takes a quarter to move an inch?

We're recruiting for a fast-moving Adelaide defence-aerospace manufacturer scaling rapidly from prototype into full-rate production. They need a practical, Senior Mechanical Engineer ready to step into a technical leadership role and own the day-to-day.

This is not a pure desk-and-FEA job. You'll be the bridge between the drawing board and the factory floor - setting technical direction, running quick first-principles hand calculations to get to a reliable answer in minutes, and walking straight onto the shop floor to solve real fabrication problems on the spot.

The Role

You’ll provide technical leadership for the mechanical engineering effort - reporting to the Design Lead. This is a lead-through-influence role: you won't have direct reports, but you'll be the engineer others turn to for the answer, mentoring junior engineers, steering design reviews, and representing mechanical across a multidisciplinary team.

Your core mission: make sure every design is sound, manufacturable, and verified fast - using a smart blend of classical analysis, targeted FEA, and real shop-floor feedback.

What you’ll actually do

• Lead the design, development and testing of mechanical systems, and set the technical standard for how it's done.


• Run rapid hand-calc verification to reach a reliable 80-90% answer in minutes rather than waiting days for a full FEA run.


• Own structural analysis focused on failure-point minimisation and weight reduction, and drive the direction for improvement.


• Conduct design reviews, risk assessments, and failure investigations.


• Work shoulder-to-shoulder with machinists, fabricators and the wing-assembly and composites teams to resolve fit-up, tolerance, material and process issues directly.


• Drive design-for-manufacturability improvements so parts are easier, faster and cheaper to build without compromising safety or performance.


• Mentor and develop junior engineers, and help build a high-performing team culture.


• Ensure designs meet Defence, AS9100, ISO and ITAR requirements, and own the documentation and technical approvals that go with them.


• Move fast: this is a weekly-cadence environment where decisions are made daily, not quarterly.

Who We're Looking For

A senior mechanical engineer ready for a genuine technical-leadership step - the kind of engineer others naturally turn to, whether or not you've held a formal management title.

• Proven mechanical design and development experience in Defence, aerospace, space, or another high-reliability / high-consequence industry - real hardware that gets built, tested and deployed under demanding conditions.


• The hand-calc mindset - you instinctively reach for classical methods (pencil, Excel, MATLAB) to get to a fast, defensible answer before firing up the big FEA model. You value speed and engineering judgement.


• Strong grounding in mechanical design, materials, and systems integration, including structural analysis for strength and weight.


• Working knowledge of at least one major FEA package (ANSYS, NASTRAN, HyperMesh/OptiStruct or equivalent).


• Genuinely hands-on and shop-floor comfortable - happy to put on safety boots and solve problems directly with technicians and machinists.


• A track record of delivering under tight deadlines in a fast-moving environment.


• Australian citizenship, and the ability to obtain and maintain an NV1 (or above) security clearance.

Highly regarded

• Experience in a certification, compliance or production ramp-up environment (AS9100, ISO, ITAR).


• Strong CAD capability - SolidWorks preferred.


• Composites, additive manufacturing, or lightweight-structures experience.


• Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) or equivalent.


• Experience mentoring engineers and running design reviews.

The Environment

• 100% on-site in Adelaide. Part office, part workshop and factory floor - expect regular hands-on work and PPE in designated areas.


• 9-day working fortnight - every second Friday off, for a regular 3-day weekend.


• Fast, ambitious, and genuinely exciting. Minimal bureaucracy, immediate impact.


• A team that runs on urgency with purpose, humility over ego, and mission success over personal recognition - you'll need to be confident enough to lead and low-friction enough to build trust quickly.


• Occasional extended hours and domestic (sometimes international) travel around test campaigns and critical deadlines.

Why Apply

Your work will be built, tested and flown, not filed away on a server. You'll step into technical leadership now, while the company is scaling hard, with the freedom to own the day-to-day and the mentorship of senior experts when the problems get tough. Adelaide living, a 3-day weekend every fortnight, and relocation support if you're moving to join.

If you want to combine deep hands-on engineering, real leadership, and seeing hardware fly, we want to hear from you.

Australian Citizenship is mandatory. This role requires the ability to obtain and hold an NV1 security clearance and to work with ITAR-controlled technology.