Mechanical Engineer

ASHFORD CONNEX, LLC; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

In-house 3D printing

Job summary

ASHFORD CONNEX, LLC seeks a mechanical engineer to own the full lifecycle of rugged hardware—from concept to manufacture—across enclosure, packaging, and drone integration products. You will design and shepherd Dongle Cases, Bridge Boxes, and other field-ready enclosures for our ground station and communications platforms.

With in-house 3D printing and a bias toward rapid, testable designs, you’ll prototype, test, and iterate.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or related field.
• Experience with mechanical design of enclosures and packaging for hardware.

Responsibilities

• Design and oversee manufacture of ruggedized enclosures (dongle cases, bridge boxes).
• Specify and customize swarm packaging with Pelican cases and foam inserts.
• Design and test drone attachments and mounting mechanisms.
• Collaborate on mechanism design, prototyping, and field validation.

Skills

Mechanical design

Prototype development

Enclosures

Drones

Education

Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

3D printing

Job description

Our Client seeks a mechanical engineer to join our hardware development team. This role targets a designer and builder capable of owning the full lifecycle of physical hardware — from concept through manufacture — across a range of enclosure, packaging, and drone integration products. Primary responsibilities include the design and manufacture of Dongle Cases and Bridge Boxes, the ruggedized electronic enclosures central to Our Client’s ground station and communications infrastructure.

Unlike many hardware roles, Our Client’s compact platform allows mechanical work to be prototyped and iterated quickly, with in-house 3D printing and a bias toward rapid, field-testable designs. Travel opportunities for field testing and demonstrations will allow you to witness firsthand how your hardware performs as dozens of drones take flight.

Position will also encompass the design, testing, and manufacture of drone attachments and physical modifications — ranging from simple mounting brackets to complex multi-axis actuators — as well as the development of mechanisms supporting Our Client ’s concept: self-contained, rapidly deployable systems with integrated logistics, charging, and launch capability.

The role includes responsibility for Our Client’s swarm packaging program: specifying, sourcing, and customizing Pelican case configurations and precision-cut foam inserts to ensure vehicles and ground equipment survive transport and deployment in demanding field environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and oversee manufacture of Dongle Cases, Bridge Boxes, and other ruggedized electronic enclosures
• Specify, source, and customize swarm packaging solutions including Pelican cases and precision foam inserts
• Design, test, and manufacture drone attachments and physical modifications, from simple brackets to actuated mechanisms
• Collaborate with the engineering team on mechanism design, prototyping, and field validation