Mechanical Engineer II, Factory Automation

Divergent; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Divergent in Los Angeles seeks a Mechanical Engineer II to design, build, and test mechanical components for the Adaptive Production System (DAPS) in a hands‑on, cross‑functional environment. You will own defined automation subsystems from concept to deployment and balance performance with cost and manufacturability.

You will work with senior engineers and teams across mechanical, electrical, controls, software, manufacturing, and operations to deliver reliable, scalable automation hardware for

Responsibilities

• Own mechanical design and development of defined automation components and subsystems from concept through detailed design, release, build, integration, testing and deployment.
• Translate system requirements and operational needs into clear mechanical component requirements, interfaces, constraints, and acceptance criteria with cross‑functional teams.
• Develop practical solutions to complex factory automation problems, balancing technical requirements with cost, schedule, manufacturability, reliability, and deployment.
• Create mechanical designs for automation systems using CAD, drawings, GD&T, tolerance analysis, engineering calculations, component selection, and bills of material.
• Apply mechanical engineering fundamentals across structures, mechanisms, motion systems, fluids, thermal systems, enclosures, and machine integration to ensure robust designs.
• Evaluate design tradeoffs across performance, reliability, safety, manufacturability, serviceability, cost, schedule, and risk, seeking guidance when needed.
• Identify risks and support analysis, prototyping, assembly, testing, troubleshooting, and design iteration to resolve them.
• Collaborate with engineering, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, suppliers, and other stakeholders to execute designs and communicate decisions clearly.
• Contribute to architecture, modularization, and standardization of automation systems, and support supplier readiness.

Job description

Divergent is building the new industrial age. Every day, our teams design, manufacture, and assemble advanced systems for some of the world’s most demanding industries. Our integrated engineering and manufacturing platform transforms complex designs into production-ready solutions, helping customers move faster, build smarter, and deliver critical systems when they matter most. Divergent is a qualified Tier 1 supplier to global automotive OEMs and supports leading U.S. aerospace and defense companies.

Join us and help push the boundaries of what can be built.

Purpose

A Mechanical Engineer II on the Factory Automation team will design and develop mechanical components and subsystems that form the foundation of Divergent’s Adaptive Production System (DAPS). These systems will enable Divergent factories to rapidly reconfigure for simultaneous production of automotive, aerospace, and defense structures—eliminating the traditional tooling bottlenecks that constrain flexible manufacturing.

This is a hands‑on role where you will take ownership of defined mechanical design efforts from concept through detailed design, build, testing, and integration. You will translate system requirements into practical mechanical designs, evaluate design tradeoffs across performance, cost, reliability, manufacturability, and schedule, and work closely with senior engineers and cross‑functional teams to develop and deploy automation hardware. The ideal candidate has experience designing, building, and testing mechanical systems, with a strong foundation in machine design, manufacturing methods, mechanisms, motion systems, and structures.

You will work on bleeding‑edge industrial automation systems and help develop technologies that have few existing precedents. By combining advanced automation, software, and factory data, you will contribute to a new model for flexible, sustainable manufacturing. Divergent is pushing the boundaries of what a factory can be, and we are looking for an engineer who is eager to learn, take on increasing technical ownership, and turn ambitious concepts into deployed hardware.

The Role

• Own mechanical design and development of defined automation components and subsystems, from concept development through detailed design, release, build, integration, testing and deployment.
• Translate system requirements and operational needs into clear mechanical component requirements, interfaces, constraints, and acceptance criteria, working closely with mechanical, electrical, controls, software, manufacturing, and operations teams.
• Develop practical solutions to challenging factory automation problems, balancing technical requirements with constraints around cost, schedule, manufacturability, reliability, and deployment.
• Develop mechanical designs for automation systems using CAD, drawings, GD&T, tolerance analysis, engineering calculations component selection, and bills of material, ensuring designs meet system-level requirements and establish design standards.
• Apply mechanical engineering fundamentals across structures, mechanisms, precision motion systems, fluids, thermal systems, sealing, enclosures, and machine integration to develop robust and manufacturable designs.
• Evaluate design alternatives and make sound engineering tradeoffs across performance, reliability, safety, manufacturability, serviceability, cost, schedule, and technical risk, seeking guidance when tradeoffs extend beyond the scope of the assigned system.
• Identify technical and integration risks and support analysis, prototyping, assembly, testing, troubleshooting, and design iteration to resolve them
• Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues within owned components and subsystems, incorporating lessons learned into design improvements and future development.
• Collaborate with engineering, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, suppliers, and other stakeholders to execute designs effectively; communicate technical decisions, status, risk, and required support clearly.
• Apply engineering standards, design practices, system interfaces, reusable designs to improve the speed, quality, and reliability of automation development and deployment.
• Support the technical readiness of owned components and subsystems through release, procurement, manufacturing, planning, validation, deployment, and operational ramp, identifying and closing technical gaps along the way.
• Participate in machine integration and fleet investigations, helping troubleshoot failures and convert findings into design improvements.
• Participate in design reviews and provide technical input to other engineers while actively seeking feedback and mentorship to expand technical breadth and judgement.
• Contribute to the architecture, modularization, and standardization of automation systems, as well as supplier and contract‑manufacturing readiness.
• Identify opportunities to simplify and improve the development and deployment of automation hardware, contributing to efforts that increase