Field-Ready Mechanical Engineer for Maritime Autonomy

Frontdoor Defense; San Diego (CA); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Saronic Technologies is seeking a Forward Deployed Mechanical Engineer to lead the deployment of mechanical systems on autonomous maritime platforms from lab to fleet. You will split time between lab, fabrication spaces, and waterfront, bringing technology into real-world operations.

The role emphasizes hands-on work, system integration, and field debugging to ensure successful mission-ready deployments in dynamic maritime environments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or related field; master's preferred.
• 3+ years experience with integrated mechanical/electromechanical systems.
• Hands-on assembly and fabrication (CNC, sheet metal, 3D printing).
• Rapid prototyping and system-level debugging experience.
• FEA proficiency to validate parts and mounts, know when to hand-calc.
• Electrical enclosure design with thermal management and IP67+.
• Marine materials and corrosion knowledge.
• Sensor/payload mounts for ruggedized environments.
• CAD proficiency (SolidWorks/NX) and field integration setup.
• Linux-based systems experience.
• Willingness to work near water; ownership mindset.
• Autonomous systems or drones experience preferred.
• Maritime environment familiarity; ruggedized design exposure.

Responsibilities

• Design systems for mechanical integration on ASVs and maritime platforms.
• Lead rapid prototyping for field experiments and platform evolution.
• Perform bring-up, integration, and troubleshooting of subsystems.
• Own dockside and sea trials; install hardware and validate in envs.
• Drive design-for-assembly and deployment feedback into product development.
• Collaborate with Electrical, Software, and Autonomy teams.
• Interface with suppliers and fabrication shops for fast turnarounds.
• Contribute to documentation and training for deployment scaling.

Skills

Mechanical design

Field deployment

Rapid prototyping

System debugging

Electrical enclosure design

Marine materials knowledge

Sensor mounts design

CAD proficiency

Linux familiarity

Autonomy experience

Drones/robotic platforms

Ruggedized hardware design

Ownership & initiative

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or related field

Master's degree is a plus

Tools

FEA

SolidWorks

NX

Linux

Job description

Saronic Technologies is seeking a Forward Deployed Mechanical Engineer to lead the deployment of mechanical systems on autonomous maritime platforms from lab to fleet. You will split time between lab, fabrication spaces, and waterfront, bringing technology into real-world operations.

The role emphasizes hands-on work, system integration, and field debugging to ensure successful mission-ready deployments in dynamic maritime environments.