Staff Mechanical Engineer — Rugged Avionics Hardware

Frontdoor Defense; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 167,000 - 209,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision benefits ὐ

401k with company match

Relocation assistance

Stock option grants

Unlimited PTO

Job summary

CHAOS Industries in El Segundo, CA, seeks a Staff Mechanical Engineer to own the mechanical design and integration of ruggedized sensor systems, avionics, and related hardware for dual-use aerospace and defense applications. You will drive from concept through qualification, leading cross-functional teams and handling complex assemblies.

The role emphasizes hands-on design, documentation, and collaboration with mechanical, electrical, RF, and manufacturing teams to meet stringent environmental

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline.
• 7+ years of mechanical design and integration of electronic hardware for aerospace, defense, or similar applications.
• Strong proficiency with CAD tools, such as SolidWorks, including complex assemblies and detailed design.
• Experience producing and reviewing production-ready mechanical drawings and documentation.
• Understanding of mechanical interfaces, tolerancing, alignment, installation practices, and ICDs.
• Familiarity with MIL-DTL-38999, ARINC, and Micro-D connectors.
• Knowledge of GD&T, tolerance analysis, and configuration-controlled documentation.
• Familiarity with structural analysis methods, including hand calculations and FEA.
• Experience designing ruggedized hardware and environmental requirements.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Perform hands-on mechanical design and integration of ruggedized electronic hardware, sensor systems, avionics, structures, mechanisms, enclosures, and related support equipment.
• Own the mechanical design and integration of defined subsystems, product areas, or major assemblies.
• Perform trade studies and recommend path forward.
• Develop and maintain 3D CAD models, assemblies, drawings, installation docs, and ICDs.
• Design mechanicals to meet structural, thermal, environmental, manufacturability, and installation requirements.
• Perform hand calculations and basic analyses for structural/thermal aspects.
• Lead design reviews on owned designs.
• Collaborate with ME, E, RF, power, manufacturing, systems eng, customers, suppliers to resolve integration challenges.
• Support system integration, qualification, fit-check, installation, alignment, troubleshooting, prototyping, and transition to production.
• Support configuration control, make/buy evaluations, fielding, and sustainment of deployed systems.
• Mentor junior engineers.

Skills

Mechanical design

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Analytical problem solving

Technical communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

Finite Element Analysis tools (NASTRAN/ABAQUS/ANSYS/COMSOL)

Job description

CHAOS Industries in El Segundo, CA, seeks a Staff Mechanical Engineer to own the mechanical design and integration of ruggedized sensor systems, avionics, and related hardware for dual-use aerospace and defense applications. You will drive from concept through qualification, leading cross-functional teams and handling complex assemblies.

The role emphasizes hands-on design, documentation, and collaboration with mechanical, electrical, RF, and manufacturing teams to meet stringent environmental