Mechanical Packaging and Ruggedization Engineer

Kform; Sterling (VA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Kform in Sterling, Virginia is seeking a hands-on mechanical engineer to lead design of ruggedized assemblies, brackets, and thermal solutions. You’ll turn customer needs into manufacturable drawings with complete BOMs and revision control, then prototype, test, and iterate.

You’ll collaborate with manufacturing, quality, electronics packaging, and supply chain to ensure design intent is realized in production, document decisions, and mentor junior engineers while driving small projects from

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s in Mechanical, Mechatronics, Aerospace, Manufacturing Engineering, or related field.
• Strong fundamentals: CAD modeling, assemblies, materials, tolerancing, fabrication methods.
• Hands-on with rapid prototyping, shop equipment, inspection and test tools, and physical hardware.
• Working knowledge of electronics packaging, thermal management, embedded integration, and systems integration.
• Ability to document design intent, revisions, tests and decisions clearly; strong problem-solving and collaboration.
• 3–5 years in mechanical design, product development, prototyping, or multidisciplinary hardware development.

Responsibilities

• Lead mechanical design for ruggedized products including assemblies, brackets, mounts, and fixtures.
• Create manufacturable designs with complete drawings, BOMs, and revision control.
• Prototype quickly; assemble, instrument, inspect, and troubleshoot real hardware.
• Plan and execute validation for fit/function, durability, thermal behavior, manufacturability, and safety.
• Design within constraints: packaging, weight, thermal, environmental exposure, shock/vibration, EMI/shielding, cost and lead time.
• Collaborate across electrical, manufacturing, quality, test, supply chain, and program teams.
• Document CAD outputs, change history, assembly instructions, and test data; maintain traceability.
• Mentor junior engineers and drive small projects from concept to release.

Tools

SolidWorks

Onshape

Job description

Why this role exists

New defense and dual‑use technologies can’t wait years to reach the field. Kform compresses that timeline by uniting design, prototyping, manufacturing, quality, and production readiness under one roof. We’re looking for a hands‑on mechanical engineer who loves the messy middle—where constraints are real, the clock is ticking, and hardware must work the first time it matters.

What if this were your first 90 days?

Week 1: You’re in SolidWorks shaping a rugged enclosure architecture and defining mounting interfaces. Week 3: You’ve built a proof‑of‑concept, shaken it on a vibe table, thermal‑cycled it, and adjusted fastener strategy. Week 6: You’re on the phone with a coatings vendor and on the floor with a machinist closing a tolerance stack. Week 9: You’ve finalized drawings, run a design review with manufacturing and quality, and locked a build plan to hit a field test window.

You will

• Lead mechanical design for products that include assemblies, ruggedized systems, brackets/mounts/panels/structural components, mechanisms/interfaces, thermal solutions, fixtures/tooling, test equipment, and production‑ready parts.
• Turn customer needs and environmental realities into manufacturable designs with complete drawings, BOMs, and revision control.
• Prototype quickly; assemble, instrument, inspect, and troubleshoot real hardware.
• Plan and execute validation for fit/function, structural and durability performance, thermal behavior, manufacturability, assembly processes, and safety/reliability.
• Design within constraints: packaging, weight, thermal, environmental exposure, shock/vibration, EMI/shielding, assembly sequence, serviceability, cost, and lead time.
• Work across electrical, embedded, manufacturing, quality, test, supply chain, and program teams to optimize the whole system.
• Document thoroughly: CAD, drawings, BOMs, change history, assembly instructions, test data, design rationale, and trade studies.
• Partner directly with machinists, fabricators, vendors, and production to ensure intent matches output.
• Mentor junior engineers and independently drive small projects from ambiguous input to delivered hardware.
• Continuously improve our engineering and manufacturing practices.

You are

• A system thinker with mechanical depth and cross‑disciplinary curiosity.
• Comfortable in ambiguity and skilled at making smart tradeoffs quickly.
• Hands‑on: equally at home at a CAD station, test bench, or machine shop.
• Clear in your reasoning and documentation.

Must-haves

• Bachelor’s in Mechanical, Mechatronics, Aerospace, Manufacturing Engineering, or related.
• 3–5 years in mechanical design, product development, prototyping, test, manufacturing engineering, or multidisciplinary hardware development.
• Fluency in SolidWorks (or similar) and production‑quality drawings (dimensions, tolerances/GD&T, notes, finishes, revision control).
• Strong fundamentals: CAD modeling; assemblies; materials; tolerancing; fabrication methods; structural design; DFM.
• Hands‑on with rapid prototyping, shop equipment, inspection and test tools, and physical hardware.
• Working knowledge of electronics packaging, cable routing, thermal management, embedded integration, manufacturing, quality, test, and systems integration.
• Ability to document design intent, revisions, test results, and technical decisions clearly; strong problem‑solving and team collaboration.

Nice‑to‑haves

• Startup or founding‑team experience.
• Defense, aerospace, robotics, industrial automation, advanced manufacturing, rugged electronics, or regulated‑environment background.
• Designing rugged systems, tactical gear, field equipment, enclosures, transport cases, electronics packaging, and production fixtures.
• AS9100, QMS, configuration control, production documentation, design release familiarity.
• Environmental, shock, vibration, thermal, IP, and EMI design experience.
• Designing for manufacturability, assembly, inspection, reliability, and cost; supplier engagement across CNC, sheet metal, additive, composites, castings, coatings, gaskets, fasteners.
• Taking hardware from prototype to production readiness; managing small projects concept‑to‑release.
• Strong communicator across engineers, operators, customers, suppliers, and leadership; passion for American manufacturing and defense tech.

What success looks like

• Designs that survive shock/vibe/thermal/EMI and assemble cleanly.
• Documentation that enables reliable builds and inspections.
• Fast learning cycles from test data to design improvements.
• Production feedback rapidly converted into the next rev.

Environment and cadence

• Fast‑moving product development and manufacturing environment.
• Frequent hands‑on work with prototypes, tools, machinery, test/inspection equipment, electronics, and production hardware.
• Time spent standing, walking, assembling, testing, troubleshooting, inspecting, and working near active operations.
• PPE as required by task, equipment, and area.
• Occasional travel to customers, suppliers, testing, or program needs.

How Kform operates

We prize continuous improvement, aggressive value creation, and extreme ownership. Our mission is to bring advanced defense products to production faster by respecting details, listening to customers, understanding hardware deeply, and executing relentlessly.

Tools you’ll use

• CAD Software
• Mechanical Design & Engineering
• 3D Modeling (SolidWorks)
• CAD platforms: SolidWorks, Onshape