Principal Mechanical Engineer New El Segundo, California, United States

Chaos, Inc.; Hawthorne (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

CHAOS Industries in Hawthorne, CA seeks an experienced Principal Mechanical Engineer to lead the design, development, and integration of advanced launcher systems for missiles and UAVs.

You will own end-to-end mechanical design from concept through production and sustainment, collaborate across functions, and mentor teams while guiding subcontractors on ruggedized hardware and complex interfaces.

Qualifications

• Experience in mechanical CAD and system integration for launcher systems.
• Demonstrated launcher design and integration success.
• Understanding of ruggedized hardware design for harsh environments.

Responsibilities

• Own mechanical architecture and integration of launcher systems across ground and maritime platforms.
• Define and manage interfaces between missile, canister, and platform.

Skills

Mechanical CAD

System integration

Launcher design

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Independent work

Subcontracts management

Job description

CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage—domain dominance. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats.

CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors, including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, and London. For more information, please visit www.chaosinc.com .

Role Overview:

CHAOS is seeking an experienced Principal Mechanical Engineer to lead the design, development, and integration of advanced missile and UAV launcher systems. This role owns end-to-end mechanical design from concept development through production and sustainment, of launcher systems supporting solid rocket motor effectors, turbine-powered UAVs, and electrically powered UAV systems across mobile ground and maritime platforms.This role collaborates closely across functions and provides technical management of subcontracts.

This role is suited for engineers who thrive in fast-paced, hands-on environments and are comfortable owning hardware from concept through field deployment.

The ideal candidate has strong hands-on mechanical CADand system integrationexperience,demonstratedlauncher design and integrationsuccess,a deep understanding of ruggedized hardware design, and a proven ability to work independentlyand guide cross-disciplinary engineering efforts.

This is a full-time, on-siteposition inHawthorne,CA.Level (Principal vs Sr Principal) will bedeterminedbased onrelevant technical and leadershipexperience.

Responsibilities:

• Own mechanical architecture and integration of launcher systems across multiple platforms (ground and maritime)
• Define and manage mechanicalandelectro-mechanicalinterfaces between missile, canister, and platform