R&D Mechanical Technician

Heaviside Industries, Inc.; California; On-site; USD 85,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Heaviside Industries, Inc. in Los Angeles, CA, seeks a hands-on technician to build and test prototype air and undersea vehicles and subassemblies following drawings, work instructions, and engineering change orders to ensure repeatable builds.

You will run bench tests on avionics, power systems and sensors, document results, support field tests, troubleshoot faults with engineers, and help improve instructions and procedures. Some lifting and outdoor work on sites may be required.

Qualifications

• 3 years of hands-on experience building, testing, or troubleshooting mechanical/electromechanical hardware in the aerospace, defense, automotive, electronics, or robotics space.
• Ability to read mechanical drawings, schematics, and wiring diagrams and follow detailed work instructions accurately.
• Careful documentation habits, including build records, test data, and nonconformance reports in an ERP, MES, or similar system.
• Willingness to work on the lab and shop floor and at outdoor field test sites, including lifting and extended time on your feet.
• U.S. Person as defined by ITAR (22 CFR §120.62)

Responsibilities

• Assemble prototype air and undersea vehicles and subassemblies per drawings.
• Run bench tests on avionics, power systems, and sensors; log results.
• Support field tests; set up data collection and recovery.
• Troubleshoot hardware faults with engineers.
• Draft and improve work instructions and test procedures.
• Provide feedback on usability and maintenance to improve designs.

Skills

R&D hardware experience

Instrumentation with multimeters/osc

Reading schematics & wiring diagrams

ERP/MES documentation

Safety and field testing

ITAR compliance awareness

Education

Associate degree or technical certification in electronics/mechatronics

Tools

Multimeters

Oscilloscopes

Torque tools

Bench power supplies

Job description

ABOUT HEAVISIDE INDUSTRIES

Heaviside Industries builds multi-domain autonomous precision munitions for U.S. and allied special operations and conventional forces. While modern warfare has rapidly evolved with the proliferation of unmanned systems, hyper-precise munitions in contested environments are the future of the battlefield. Economical precision strike capabilities are critical to U.S. and allied war efforts, enabling successful defeat of enemy military assets and infrastructure. Heaviside builds precision munitions designed to operate in GPS-denied and spectrum-jammed battlefields—where traditional systems degrade or fail—without inflated prices or sacrifice to performance.

All engineering and manufacturing is conducted in-house in Heaviside’s Los Angeles, CA headquarters and Oslo, Norway office.

Heaviside is backed by Interlagos, Menlo Ventures, Flume Ventures, Cantos, Anorak Ventures, and Ravelin Ventures.

What You Will Do

• Build, assemble, and integrate prototype air and undersea vehicles and subassemblies from drawings, work instructions, engineering change orders, and guidance from engineering
• Run bench tests on avionics, power systems, and sensors, and record results in test logs and the production tracking system
• Support field tests of vehicles in outdoor and underwater environments, including setup, data collection, and recovery
• Troubleshoot mechanical and electrical hardware faults with engineers
• Draft and improve work instructions and test procedures so builds can be repeated as production scales
• Provide feedback to engineers on system useability, functionality, and maintainability so designs can be improved
• Maintain test fixtures, tools, and calibrated equipment, and keep the lab and shop spaces organized and the inventory accurate
• Flag nonconformances and give feedback to design and manufacturing engineers to improve yield and reliability

What We Are Looking For

• 3 years of hands-on experience building, testing, or troubleshooting mechanical and electromechanical hardware in an R&D, prototype, or production setting in the aerospace, defense, automotive, electronics, or robotics space
• Skill using multimeters, oscilloscopes, bench power supplies, and torque tools to diagnose and verify hardware
• Ability to read mechanical drawings, schematics, and wiring diagrams and follow detailed work instructions accurately
• Careful documentation habits, including build records, test data, and nonconformance reports in an ERP, MES, or similar system
• Willingness to work on the lab and shop floor and at outdoor field test sites, including lifting and extended time on your feet
• U.S. Person as defined by ITAR (22 CFR §120.62)

Nice to Have

• Active or prior U.S. security clearance
• Associate degree or technical certification in electronics, mechatronics, or a related field
• A&P License
• Experience with UAVs, missiles, torpedoes, or underwater vehicles, including integration and test
• Proficiency with soldering, crimping, and harness assembly, with working knowledge of IPC-A-610 or J-STD-001 workmanship standards
• IPC-A-610, J-STD-001, or IPC/WHMA-A-620 certification
• Experience with composites layup, potting, or sealing for waterproof or pressure-rated enclosures

Additional Information:

Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options, and access to medical, vision & dental coverage as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

(https://www.pmddtc.state.gov/?id=ddtc_kb_article_page&sys_id=24d528fddbfc930044f9ff621f961987).

Heaviside is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Heaviside is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, physical disability or any other legally protected status.