Payload Mechanical Engineer

Insight Global; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Insight Global is seeking an experienced Mechanical Engineer to own the mechanical design of payload housings, enclosures, and mounting structures for a maritime autonomous vehicle. You will guide interfaces and budgets while ensuring integration with payload electrical, vehicle interoperability, and buoyancy teams.

The role emphasizes structure- and pressure-analysis, drawing releases with GD&T, and field-ready modular payload interfaces.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent.
• 5+ years of mechanical design experience on hardware deployed using NX or SolidWorks.
• Strong CAD proficiency and drawing release experience with GD&T.
• Maritime experience or experience with pressure vessels and sealed enclosures.
• Knowledge of structural analysis and hand calculations for load paths.
• Experience managing mass, volume, and CG budgets under tight constraints.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Own mechanical design of payload housings and mounting structures.
• Design pressure-rated payload containment and penetrations for full-depth operation.
• Define modular mechanical interfaces for rapid payload swap in the field.
• Manage budgets for payload installations (volume, mass, CG).
• Perform structural and pressure analysis on payload assemblies.
• Produce drawings, tolerances, and interface control documents.
• Collaborate with Payload Electrical, Vehicle Interoperability, and Buoyancy & Trim teams.
• Support prototype builds, integration testing, and at-sea validation.
• Travel up to 25% to test sites and supplier facilities.

Skills

Mechanical design experience

CAD proficiency

GD&T

Structural analysis

Mass/CG budgets

Security clearance

Education

Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Siemens NX

SolidWorks

Job description

Job Description

ABOUT THE JOB You will own mechanical design for payloads carried by a maritime autonomous vehicle. Reporting to the Payload Lead, you will design payload housings, mounting structures, and the mechanical interfaces that let Anduril and third-party payloads integrate into the vehicle — pressure-rated, volume-constrained, and swappable in the field. Payload bays are among the most contested real estate on the vehicle, and this role owns making them work.Your spectrum of support will be diverse in nature and require you to leverage your technical expertise as well as leadership skills to set objectives, build cross-functional teams, and rapidly drive to completion. The ability to leverage your intuition and prior experience will be key in making sure the right design, analysis, and test steps are completed to ensure success. The ideal candidate will leverage their experience executing and successfully completing prior highly optimized multi-disciplinary projects.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Own mechanical design of payload housings, enclosures, and mounting structures
• Design pressure-rated payload containment and penetrations for full-depth operation
• Define modular mechanical interfaces that enable rapid payload swap in the field
• Manage volume, mass, and center-of-gravity budgets for payload installations
• Perform structural and pressure analysis on payload assemblies
• Produce drawings, tolerance stackups, and interface control documents for payload hardware
• Partner with Payload Electrical, Vehicle Interoperability, and Buoyancy & Trim on integration constraints
• Support prototype builds, integration testing, and at-sea validation
• Travel up to 25% to test sites and supplier facilities

Skills and Requirements

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent
• 5+ years of mechanical design experience on hardware that was built and deployed using Siemens NX or Solidworks
• Strong CAD proficiency and drawing release experience with GD&T
• Maritime experience, either UUV, subsea, or pressure vesselso Experience designing sealed, pressure-rated, or environmentally protected enclosures
• Working knowledge of structural analysis and hand calculations for load paths
• Experience managing mass, volume, and CG budgets under tight constraints
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret security clearance

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience with subsea, marine, or deep-submergence mechanical design
• Familiarity with underwater connectors, penetrators, and pressure housings
• Experience with modular or field-swappable hardware interfaces
• Background in payload integration for aircraft, spacecraft, or unmanned vehicles
• Experience in defense programs or third-party hardware integration

We are a company committed to creating diverse and inclusive environments where people can bring their full, authentic selves to work every day. We are an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action employer that believes everyone matters. Qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, national origin, ancestry, genetic factors, age, disability, protected veteran status, military or uniformed service member status, or any other status or characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations, and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request to [e-mail].