Head of Mechanical Engineering — Equity-Eligible Leader

Neon Aerospace; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 210,000 - 325,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity participation

Health, vision, dental benefits

401(k) plan

Growth opportunities

Job summary

Neon Aero, Inc in Irvine is seeking a Director of Mechanical Engineering to lead the organization responsible for developing and delivering our next generation of complex hardware products. This role combines organizational leadership with hands-on product development, owning mechanical engineering capability, technical quality, and execution across multiple programs.

The ideal candidate has built strong engineering teams and repeatedly taken complex hardware from concept through architecture,

Qualifications

• 10+ years developing physical products with production deployment.
• 5+ years leading mechanical engineering teams.
• Experience taking multiple products from concept through production.
• Broad mechanical fundamentals across structures, mechanisms, electromechanical systems, thermal systems, packaging, materials, and manufacturing.
• Experience with multiple manufacturing processes (machining, casting, molding, forming, additive manufacturing, composites).
• Experience with suppliers and production ramp.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop Neon’s Mechanical Engineering organization, including people, capabilities, and standards.
• Own mechanical execution across multiple products from concept to production.
• Set the technical bar for architecture, design quality, and documentation.
• Drive fast, disciplined design-build-test cycles to identify risks and converge on solutions.
• Ensure manufacturability, reliability, cost, and producibility are considered from the start.
• Collaborate with electrical, embedded software, systems, test, manufacturing, industrial design, and supply chain teams.
• Remain involved in architecture decisions, design reviews, prototype builds, and failure investigations.
• Oversee mechanical readiness for prototype and production builds, including supplier engagement and tooling.

Skills

Hardware leadership

Mechanical engineering leadership

Cross-functional leadership

Architecture design

DFx / DFM knowledge

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

CAD software

GD&T

Prototyping tools

Manufacturing processes

Job description

Neon Aero, Inc in Irvine is seeking a Director of Mechanical Engineering to lead the organization responsible for developing and delivering our next generation of complex hardware products. This role combines organizational leadership with hands-on product development, owning mechanical engineering capability, technical quality, and execution across multiple programs.

The ideal candidate has built strong engineering teams and repeatedly taken complex hardware from concept through architecture,