Mechanical Engineer – Drone Systems

Software Placement Group; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Software Placement Group is seeking a mechanical engineer to own the full lifecycle of rugged hardware for drone ground-station systems in San Diego. You will design enclosures, packaging, and drone attachments, moving from concept through production.

This role emphasizes rapid prototyping with in-house 3D printing, field validation, and travel for demonstrations to ensure hardware performance during multi-drone operations.

Qualifications

• Background in mechanical engineering with experience designing and manufacturing physical hardware, from concept through production.
• Hands-on experience designing ruggedized enclosures and protective packaging solutions.
• Familiarity with rapid prototyping methods, including in-house 3D printing.
• Experience designing mounting brackets, attachments, or multi-axis mechanisms.
• Willingness to travel for field testing and demonstration events.
• Based in or able to work on-site in San Diego, CA.

Responsibilities

• Design ruggedized electronic enclosures for ground-station and communications gear.
• Specify and customize swarm packaging solutions, including Pelican cases and foam inserts.
• Design, test, and manufacture drone attachments and multi-axis mechanisms.
• Develop mechanisms for self-contained, deployable systems with integrated logistics and launch.
• Collaborate with engineering on mechanism design, prototyping, and field validation.
• Support rapid prototyping with in-house 3D printing.
• Travel for field testing and demonstrations during multi-drone flights.

Skills

Mechanical engineering

Ruggedized enclosure design

Rapid prototyping (3D printing)

Field testing

Travel for field testing

Tools

3D printing

Job description

Location: San Diego, CA | Schedule: Full-time, on-site

Overview

A hardware technology company specializing in drone and ground-station systems is seeking a mechanical engineering professional to join its hardware development team. This role owns the full lifecycle of physical hardware -- from concept through manufacture -- across enclosures, packaging, and drone integration products, playing a key part in bringing rugged, field-ready systems to life.

What you'll do

• Design and oversee manufacture of ruggedized electronic enclosures, including dongle cases and bridge boxes used in ground station and communications infrastructure
• Specify, source, and customize swarm packaging solutions, including Pelican case configurations and precision-cut foam inserts, to protect vehicles and ground equipment during transport and deployment
• Design, test, and manufacture drone attachments and physical modifications, ranging from simple mounting brackets to complex multi-axis actuators
• Develop mechanisms supporting self-contained, rapidly deployable systems with integrated logistics, charging, and launch capability
• Collaborate with the engineering team on mechanism design, prototyping, and field validation
• Participate in rapid prototyping and iteration using in-house 3D printing capabilities
• Travel for field testing and demonstrations to observe hardware performance during multi-drone flight operations

Required qualifications

• Background in mechanical engineering with experience designing and manufacturing physical hardware, from concept through production
• Hands-on experience designing ruggedized enclosures and protective packaging solutions
• Familiarity with rapid prototyping methods, including in-house 3D printing
• Experience designing mounting brackets, attachments, or multi-axis mechanisms
• Willingness to travel for field testing and demonstration events
• Based in or able to work on-site in San Diego, CA

Why this role

This position offers the opportunity to see hardware designs come to life quickly through rapid prototyping and field testing, with direct visibility into how your work performs as dozens of drones take flight.