Principal Mechanical Engineer

About the role

The Principal Mechanical Engineer will lead and execute the mechanical integration of ruggedized electronics, effectors and mission‑critical hardware into ground‑ and sea‑mobile platforms for aerospace and defense, owning the design from concept through production and sustainment while guiding cross‑disciplinary teams.

About the company

CHAOS Industries develops modern defense solutions using Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™) to deliver advanced sensing and detection systems for warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams. Founded by U.S. military veterans and Silicon Valley innovators, the private company has about 200 employees across five global offices.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline
• 8+ years of progressively responsible experience in platform‑level mechanical design and system integration for aerospace and defense
• Proven experience integrating mechanical subsystems and mission systems into vehicles, mobile platforms, or fixed installations
• Strong proficiency with CAD tools (e.g., SolidWorks or equivalent) for large assemblies and top‑down design
• Solid understanding of mechanical interfaces, tolerancing, alignment, installation practices, and interface control documents (ICDs)
• Familiarity with structural analysis methods (hand calculations, FEA)
• Familiarity with ruggedized military hardware and environmental qualification considerations
• Experience interpreting and applying military standards such as MIL‑STD‑810 and related platform qualification requirements
• Demonstrated ability to lead technical decisions and resolve complex, cross‑disciplinary integration challenges
• Strong communication skills and ability to operate effectively in multi‑project development environments
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance
• Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field (preferred)
• Prior experience serving as a mechanical technical authority on a program (preferred)
• Experience with mechanisms and actuation systems (linkages, bearings, motors, hydraulics, pneumatics, gimbals, rotary joints) (preferred)
• Experience with system‑level requirements allocation (preferred)
• Familiarity with vehicle integration constraints including shock, vibration, transport, and operational loads (preferred)
• Experience with at least one commercial FEA or multiphysics simulation package (e.g., NASTRAN, ABAQUS, ANSYS, CFD codes, COMSOL) (preferred)
• Knowledge of manufacturing and assembly processes for mobile or deployable mechanical structures and mechanisms (preferred)
• Experience with prototyping, additive manufacturing, CNC machining, and other fabrication techniques (preferred)
• Familiarity with military‑style connectors (e.g., mil‑circular 38999, ARINC, micro‑D) (preferred)