Head of Mechanical Engineering — Hardware Innovation Leader

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

Benefits offered by this job

Equity participation

Full health benefits

Job summary

Neon Aero, Inc. in Irvine, CA, seeks a Director of Mechanical Engineering to lead the organization responsible for delivering our next generation of complex hardware.

This role blends leadership with hands-on product development, owning mechanical capability, quality, and execution across multiple programs. The ideal candidate has built strong teams and driven hardware from concept through production, with broad fundamentals in structures, mechanisms, electromechanical systems, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering; experience considered in lieu of degree.
• 10+ years of hardware development with production deployment.
• 5+ years leading mechanical engineering teams.
• Experience taking products from concept through production.
• Strong fundamentals across structures, mechanisms, electromechanical systems, and manufacturing.
• Strong understanding of CAD, GD&T, tolerance analysis, prototyping, validation.
• Experience with multiple manufacturing processes and supplier collaboration.
• Ability to lead multidisciplinary hardware development with cross-functional teams.
• First-principles problem solving and hands-on leadership style.
• U.S persons Status required.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop Neon Aero's Mechanical Engineering organization and capabilities.
• Own mechanical execution across products and development programs from concept to production.
• Set the technical bar for architecture, design quality, and documentation.
• Build fast design-build-test cycles to identify risks and converge on solutions.
• Ensure manufacturability, cost, reliability, and production scalability are considered early.
• Partner with electrical, embedded software, systems, test, and supply chain teams.

Skills

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Hands-on hardware leadership

Technical judgment

DFM/DFX awareness

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

CAD

GD&T

Tolerance analysis

Prototyping

Manufacturing processes

Job description

Neon Aero, Inc. in Irvine, CA, seeks a Director of Mechanical Engineering to lead the organization responsible for delivering our next generation of complex hardware.

This role blends leadership with hands-on product development, owning mechanical capability, quality, and execution across multiple programs. The ideal candidate has built strong teams and driven hardware from concept through production, with broad fundamentals in structures, mechanisms, electromechanical systems, and