Senior Mechanical Engineer - Design

Leonardo DRS; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 107,089 - 159,027; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) matching

Paid time off

Parental leave

Tuition reimbursement

Professional development

Flexible 9/80 schedule

Life and disability insurance

Job summary

Leonardo DRS Daylight Solutions is seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer - Design in the United States to lead mechanical architecture, opto-mechanical design execution, and system‑level integration of laser, optical, and robotic subsystems.

You will translate system requirements into design specifications, own critical interfaces, produce drawings and analyses, and drive design-to-cost and design-for-manufacture with cross‑functional teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related technical field; 5+ years experience; Advanced degrees may substitute.
• Fluency in relevant technologies and application domain; active DOD security clearance or ability to obtain clearance.

Responsibilities

• Design, fabricate, and modify mechanical and electro-mechanical components and systems, including packaging and thermal design.
• Execute robust opto-mechanical design practices including precision mechanisms and laser packaging.
• Perform analyses using hand calculations and simulation (FEA, thermal modeling).
• Develop optical alignment processes suitable for automation and repeatability.
• Translate customer and internal requirements into explicit, testable specifications with objective criteria.
• Lead technical activities and deliver results on schedule and within budget.
• Provide design-to-cost and design-for-manufacture guidance; evaluate suppliers.

Skills

Opto-mechanical design

Robotic automation

Technical leadership

System integration

Thermal analysis

Finite element analysis

Mechanical packaging

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Master's or PhD may substitute for years of experience

Tools

SolidWorks

PDM

ANSYS

SIGFIT

Icepak

Zemax Optical Software

Job description

DRS Daylight Solutions business provides industry-changing mid-infrared laser light technology for government and commercial markets, including: defense and security; life sciences; and industrial process control. As a mid-IR technology pioneer, Daylight Solutions has delivered more mid-IR systems to more applications world-wide than any other company.

Job description:

Job ID: 114787

DRS Daylight Solutions business provides industry-changing mid-infrared laser light technology for government and commercial markets, including: defense and security; life sciences; and industrial process control. As a mid-IR technology pioneer, Daylight Solutions has delivered more mid-IR systems to more applications world-wide than any other company.

Job Summary

The Senior Mechanical Engineer - Design at Daylight will be responsible for mechanical architecture, opto-mechanical design execution, and system-level integration of laser, optical, and robotic subsystems, including tooling and fixtures. Serving as the physical integration backbone of the product, this role operates across three key areas: technical expertise, system-level understanding, and project execution. The engineer produces detailed artifacts defining geometry, tolerances, thermal behavior, alignment sensitivity, manufacturability, and testability while translating system requirements into design specifications, interface dependencies, and test plans. Additionally, they lead engineering deliverables to completion, owning cross-functional interfaces, managing dependencies, and ensuring successful integration closure.

Job Responsibilities

• Design, fabricate, and modify mechanical and electro-mechanical components, subsystems, and systems, including packaging and thermal design and analysis as applicable.
• Execute robust opto-mechanical design practices including precision mechanisms, kinematics, laser packaging, and thermal control.
• Perform engineering analyses using hand calculations and simulation to drive design decisions. Typical methods include FEA and thermal modeling.
• Develop optical alignment processes suitable for automation and repeatability.
• Convert customer and internal requirements into explicit, testable engineering specifications with objective acceptance criteria.
• Define and maintain mechanical interface requirements, especially those that are interdependent with other cross-functional domains.
• Lead technical activities and deliver results on schedule and within budget.
• Provide cost, schedule, and resource inputs for design assignments; execute design-to-cost and design-for-manufacture as explicit boundary conditions.
• Specify and evaluate supplier components, subsystems, and services with clear acceptance criteria.
• Generate engineering artifacts required for release and verification, including models, drawings, analyses, test plans, procedures, and results packages.
• Conduct and participate in formal engineering reviews and support failure analysis and proposal activities.
• Investigate product and process problems and implement corrective actions that improve conformance, yield, and predictability.
• Provide technical leadership and direction to other engineers and support personnel as assigned.
• Communicate clearly in writing and verbally with internal stakeholders and customers.

Ideal Candidate will have

• Laser packaging design experience including soldering, wire bonding, lid welding, adhesive bonding, and hermeticity testing.
• Robotic automation for optical alignment experience.
• Optical metrology design experience.
• CAD proficiency; SolidWorks and PDM preferred.
• FEA capability; ANSYS Structural, Sigfit, and Icepak preferred.
• Experience with Zemax Optical Software
• Demonstrated ability to lead a technical group independently.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related technical field with a minimum of 5 years of experience; Masters or PHD in relevant field may be substituted for years of industry experience.
• Fluency in relevant technologies and application domain.

U.S. Citizenship required. This position requires an active DOD security clearance or the ability to obtain such clearance within a reasonable time after commencement of employment.

The salary range for this position is $107,089.00/year- $159,027.00/year. This range reflects the good faith estimate of pay the employer is willing to offer at the time of posting. Several factors can influence the pay scale, including but not limited to: Federal contract labor categories and contract wage rates, collective bargaining agreements, geographic location, business considerations, scope, and responsibilities of the position, local or other applicable market conditions, and internal equity. Other factors include the candidate’s qualifications such as prior work experience, specific skills and competencies, education/training, and certifications. In addition to base pay, employees may be eligible for: annual performance-based bonuses, equity awards, and overtime pay (for non-exempt employees as applicable. Our benefits package includes comprehensive health insurance (medical, dental, vision), employer matching 401(k) retirement plan, paid time off including vacation, holidays, and sick leave (including ant state-mandated paid sick leave), parental leave benefits, tuition reimbursement, professional development support, and life and disability insurance coverage.

• annual performance-based bonuses, equity awards, and overtime pay (for non-exempt employees as applicable
• comprehensive health insurance (medical, dental, vision), employer matching 401(k) retirement plan, paid time off including vacation, holidays, and sick leave (including ant state-mandated paid sick leave), parental leave benefits, tuition reimbursement, professional development support, and life and disability insurance coverage.

Taking care of our people is a top priority at Leonardo DRS. We are proud to offer competitive salaries and comprehensive benefits, including medical, dental, and vision coverage, a company contribution to a health savings account, telemedicine, life and disability insurance, legal insurance, and a 401(k) savings plan. We champion wellness programs that focus on physical, emotional, and financial well-being. We develop our talent by offering programs and activities to support career-growth, professional development, and skill enhancement. And we understand there is more to life than work, and the importance of offering flexible work schedules with our 9/80 program, competitive vacation, health/emergency leave, paid parental leave, and community service hours.
*Some employees are eligible for limited benefits only

Leonardo DRS, Inc. and its subsidiaries provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.