Senior Mechanical Engineer

Calder Search; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Meaningful equity

Direct impact on product

Fast deployment timeline

Job summary

Calder Search is seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer to own a complete subsystem from concept through field deployment. You will lead CAD, analysis, prototyping, testing and production, ensuring seamless integration with other subsystems.

You’ll design for manufacturability, run FEA/CFD in-house, and drive fast but sound trade-offs to hit a functional 80% early. This on-site role targets rapid field deployment in the Los Angeles area.

Qualifications

• 5–7 years designing mechanical hardware from concept through production.
• Experience architecting and delivering a full subsystem, not contributing to one part of a larger program.
• Deep expertise in at least one area: exterior body design, structures, mechanisms, energy storage, or propulsion.
• Expert-level CAD (NX ideal; SolidWorks or CATIA considered) managing complex assemblies.
• Runs own analysis (FEA/CFD) rather than handing it to a dedicated analyst.
• Design for manufacturing experience working directly with machine shops and fabrication partners.
• Backgrounds in automotive or EV body design, aerospace fuselage/airframe, UAVs, robotics or marine systems.

Responsibilities

• Own a full mechanical subsystem from requirements and concept through CAD, analysis, prototyping, test and production.
• Coordinate integration so your subsystem works with the rest of the platform.
• Make fast, sound trade-offs to reach a working 80% solution while challenging requirements.
• Lead end-to-end development including validation, supplier interaction and field deployment.

Skills

CAD NX

SolidWorks

CATIA

FEA

CFD

DFM

Subsystem design

Automotive

Education

B.S. or higher in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Siemens NX

Job description

Own a subsystem. From blank sheet to field.

You’ll succeed here if you enjoy owning problems, not just components.

We’re partnering with a venture-backed engineering company developing advanced autonomous platforms. They’re building the entire platform in-house and hiring five Senior Mechanical Engineers who want genuine end-to-end ownership.

You won’t own a component inside someone else’s assembly. You’ll be the Responsible Engineer for a full mechanical subsystem, owning it from requirements and concept through CAD, analysis, prototyping, test and production, including how your subsystem integrates with everyone else’s.

The team is targeting hardware in the field within months. This suits engineers who make fast, sound trade-offs to reach a working 80%, and who challenge requirements rather than inherit them.

Areas of particular interest include

• External body design and hydrodynamics. Optimising the full vehicle profile for drag and performance. Strong CAD plus the ability to run your own CFD, or partner closely with a specialist.
• Structures and integration. Bringing multiple vehicle sections together, with sealing and ingress prevention under pressure.
• Mechanisms and actuation. Control surfaces, actuators, motors and gear linkages.
• Energy storage packaging. Physical packaging and thermal analysis of cells and packs.
• Propulsion. Owning the full thruster assembly including shaft, gearbox and motor selection through supplier trade studies.

We’re Looking For

• 5–7 years designing mechanical hardware from concept through production
• Experience personally architecting and delivering a full subsystem, not contributing to one part of a larger program
• Deep expertise in at least one of the areas above
• Expert-level CAD (Siemens NX ideal; SolidWorks or CATIA considered) managing complex assemblies
• Runs their own analysis, FEA, CFD or hand calculations, rather than handing it to a dedicated analyst
• Design for manufacturing experience, working directly with machine shops and fabrication partners
• Backgrounds in automotive or EV body design, aerospace fuselage and airframe, UAVs, robotics or marine systems

Also considered: specialist FEA or CFD engineers with genuine depth. The team is open to a dedicated analysis seat alongside the design roles.

The Kind of Engineer Who Thrives Here

Deeply curious. You interrogate a requirement rather than accept it, because the best requirement is often no requirement. You validate supplier data yourself using first principles rather than trusting a datasheet. You move fast and you’re not a perfectionist.

Why Join?

• Own an entire subsystem from concept through field deployment
• Build a platform from the ground up rather than iterate on legacy designs
• No layers between you and the design
• Meaningful early-stage equity, with flexibility to weight the package more towards base salary if preferred
• See your work deployed in months, not years

Compensation

The band reflects the core senior range. There is genuine flexibility above it for exceptional candidates.

Requirements

• BS or higher in Mechanical Engineering (or related discipline)
• U.S. Citizen or Green Card Holder required. Citizenship is an advantage for future clearance eligibility but is not a requirement for this role
• Able to work on-site in the South Bay, Los Angeles