Senior Mechanical Engineer

Rethink Recruit; Hawthorne (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

CHAOS Industries seeks a Senior Mechanical Engineer to own the design, integration, and qualification of electronic hardware and enclosures for aerospace and defense applications. This hands-on role spans concept to fielded sustainment, collaborating with mechanical, electrical, RF, power, and systems teams.

You will set mechanical direction, drive decisions, and interface with customers, suppliers, and manufacturing partners to deliver robust hardware for demanding environments.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience in mechanical design and integration of electronic hardware for aerospace, defense, or similar high-reliability applications.
• Proficiency with mechanical CAD tools such as SolidWorks or equivalent, with experience producing production-ready drawings.
• Experience designing hardware for RF, avionics, power electronics, or embedded computing products.
• Solid understanding of mechanical drafting standards, GD&T, tolerance analysis, and configuration-controlled documentation.
• Experience supporting prototype builds, integration, and qualification testing.
• Eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Architect and design ruggedized electronic enclosures, chassis, card-level packaging, mounting features, and thermal solutions to meet program and environmental requirements.
• Define and maintain mechanical architectures, interface definitions, and design approaches across multi-disciplinary programs.
• Develop and oversee 3D CAD models, assemblies, drawings, and interface control documentation (ICDs) to production-ready quality.
• Perform first-order structural and thermal analyses to support design decisions and verify compliance with requirements.
• Lead cross-disciplinary technical resolution involving mechanical, electrical, RF, power, and systems teams.
• Serve as primary hardware interface with customers, platform providers, suppliers, and manufacturing partners; conduct make/buy assessments.
• Support production transition, configuration control, and investigation of integration issues on fielded systems.

Skills

Mechanical design

SolidWorks

RF design

GD&T

Prototype builds

Security clearance

Education

Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

Job description

About CHAOS Industries

CHAOS Industries builds advanced sensing and detection systems for warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams. Their products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN), a proprietary architecture that enables distributed, real-time threat detection across complex and contested environments.

Founded in 2022 and backed by $1 billion in funding from 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners, CHAOS operates at the intersection of defense and deep tech. The mission is direct: give operators time to detect, decide, and act before threats evolve.

The company has grown to over 200 people across offices in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, and London.

The Opportunity

CHAOS is looking for a Senior Mechanical Engineer to serve as a technical authority for the design, integration, and qualification of electronic hardware and enclosures for aerospace and defense applications. This is a hands-on role with real ownership across programs, from early concept through qualification, production, and fielded sustainment.

You will work directly with mechanical, electrical, RF, power, and systems engineering teams to solve complex design problems and deliver hardware that performs in demanding environments. You will set mechanical direction, drive decisions independently, and serve as a primary interface with customers, suppliers, and manufacturing partners.

What You'll Do

• Architect and design ruggedized electronic enclosures, chassis, card-level packaging, mounting features, and thermal solutions to meet program and environmental requirements
• Define and maintain mechanical architectures, interface definitions, and design approaches across multi-disciplinary programs
• Develop and oversee 3D CAD models, assemblies, drawings, and interface control documentation (ICDs) to production-ready quality
• Perform first-order structural and thermal analyses to support design decisions and verify compliance with requirements
• Lead cross-disciplinary technical resolution involving mechanical, electrical, RF, power, and systems teams
• Serve as primary hardware interface with customers, platform providers, suppliers, and manufacturing partners; conduct make/buy assessments
• Support production transition, configuration control, and investigation of integration issues on fielded systems

You Should Have

• 4+ years of experience in mechanical design and integration of electronic hardware for aerospace, defense, or similar high-reliability applications
• Strong proficiency with mechanical CAD tools such as SolidWorks or equivalent, with experience producing production-ready drawings
• Experience designing hardware for RF, avionics, power electronics, or embedded computing products
• Solid understanding of mechanical drafting standards, GD&T, tolerance analysis, and configuration-controlled documentation
• Experience supporting prototype builds, integration, and qualification testing
• Eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance

Nice to Have

• Experience with FEA or multiphysics simulation tools such as NASTRAN, ABAQUS, ANSYS, or COMSOL
• Familiarity with military specifications and standards such as MIL-STD-810
• Experience supporting environmental qualification testing including thermal cycling, vibration, and shock
• Knowledge of military and aerospace connectors such as MIL-DTL-38999, ARINC, or Micro-D
• Experience with cable harness routing, connector layouts, and electromechanical integration
• Hands-on prototyping experience using additive manufacturing, CNC machining, or machine shop equipment
• Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field

Compensation and Benefits

Base Salary: $150,000 - $190,000, depending on experience