CHAOS Industries · 4 hours ago
Senior Principal Mechanical Engineer
Hawthorne, California, United States
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
$205K/yr - $245K/yr
11+ years expCHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with advanced sensing and detection solutions designed for military and commercial applications. They are seeking a Senior Principal Mechanical Engineer to provide mechanical expertise for the integration of electronics and hardware into mobile platforms, overseeing the design and development process from concept to production.
AerospaceGovernmentMilitaryNational Security
No H1B
Security Clearance RequiredU.S. Citizen Only
Responsibilities
Provide hands-on technical authority and mechanical integration of mission systems: electronics, enclosures, effectors, launchers, mechanisms, and support equipment into ground- and sea-mobile platforms
Architect and design mechanical structures, frames, mounts, enclosures, and mechanisms subject to shock, vibration, thermal, and environmental constraints
Develop and maintain 3D CAD models, assemblies, and interface control documentation (ICDs) to support multi-disciplinary system integration
Perform first-order structural and thermal analyses and requirements allocations to ensure compliance with customer requirements and applicable military standards
Lead system-level integration, qualification, and acceptance activities, including oversight of installation, alignment, and fit-check efforts
Own cross-disciplinary technical resolution involving mechanical, electrical, RF, power, and systems engineering teams
Serve as a primary technical hardware interface with customers, platform providers, suppliers, and manufacturing partners
Perform make/buy assessments with manufacturing partners as required
Support production transition, configuration control, and fielded system sustainment, including investigation and resolution of integration issues
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline
11+ years of progressively responsible experience in platform-level mechanical design and system integration for aerospace and defense applications
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
Expertise in mechanical interfaces, tolerancing, alignment, installation practices, and interface control documents (ICDs)
Familiarity with structural analysis methods (hand calculations, FEA)
Demonstrated experience 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
Preferred
Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field
Prior experience serving as a mechanical technical authority on a program
Experience with mechanisms and actuation systems, including linkages, bearings, motors, hydraulics, and pneumatics, gimbals, or rotary joints
Experience with system-level requirements allocation
Familiarity with vehicle integration constraints, including shock, vibration, transport, and operational loads
Experience with at least one commercial FEA or multiphysics simulation package (NASTRAN, ABAQUS, ANSYS, CFD codes, COMSOL, etc.)
Knowledge of manufacturing and assembly processes for mobile or deployable mechanical structures and mechanisms
Experience with prototyping, additive manufacturing, CNC machining, and other fabrication techniques, with an understanding of producibility constraints
Familiarity with military-style connectors (e.g., mil-circular 38999, ARINC, micro-D)
Experience with field installation, retrofit, and sustainment of complex sensor systems and mobile platforms
Benefits
Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company
401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay)
FSA
HSA
Life insurance
Free daily lunch
‘No meeting Fridays’
Unlimited PTO
Casual dress code
Competitive base salaries
Generous pre-IPO stock option grants
Relocation assistance
Annual bonuses
Company
CHAOS Industries
CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with omniscient systems that give the ultimate advantage—domain dominance.
51-200 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$1BKey Investors
Valor Equity PartnersAccel,New Enterprise AssociatesAccel
2025-11-13Series D· $510M
2025-04-30Series C· $275M
2024-11-13Series B· $145M
Leadership Team
Bo Marr
Co-founder, co-CEO, CTO of Chaos Industries
John Tenet
Founder & CEO
Recent News
Crunchbase News
2025-12-01
Company data provided by crunchbase