Senior Staff Mechanical Engineer

CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with omniscient systems purpose-built for today’s realities. Designed and built by top U.S. military veterans and Silicon Valley innovators, CHAOS Industries’ products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats. In a world where technological threats move at unprecedented speed, CHAOS Industries delivers advanced sensing and detection solutions that give the ultimate advantage: time. Role Overview: CHAOS is seeking a Senior Staff Mechanical Engineer to lead the design, development, packaging, integration, and qualification of ruggedized electronic hardware, sensor systems, avionics, and related mission-critical hardware for dual-use aerospace and defense applications. The ideal candidate brings strong hands-on mechanical design and CAD expertise, experience with complex assemblies and integrated systems, demonstrated prototyping and analysis skills, and the ability to work effectively within cross-disciplinary teams spanning mechanical, electrical, RF, power, manufacturing, and systems engineering. Design challenges may include structures, enclosures, mechanisms, electromechanical hardware, thermal solutions, support equipment, and other mission-critical systems. The position spans the product lifecycle from concept development and architecture through detailed design, analysis, prototyping, qualification testing, production, and sustainment of fielded systems. This is a full-time, on-site position in El Segundo, CA. Responsibilities: • Lead the design, development, packaging, and mechanical integration of ruggedized electronic hardware, sensor systems, avionics, structures, mechanisms, and related support equipment • Own mechanical design responsibility for a subsystem, product area, or hardware integration effort, ensuring alignment with system-level requirements, mission needs, and program constraints • Develop mechanical architectures and detailed designs subject to structural, thermal, environmental, manufacturability, installation, and operational requirements • Develop and maintain 3D CAD models, large assemblies, detailed drawings, installation documentation, and interface control documents (ICDs), ensuring production-ready quality and configuration control • Perform first-order structural and thermal analyses, hand calculations, requirements analysis and allocation, and design verification activities • Provide technical guidance during system integration, qualification, acceptance, fit-check, installation, alignment, and troubleshooting activities • Serve as a key technical hardware interface with customers, suppliers, manufacturing partners, and other cross-functional stakeholders • Perform make/buy assessments and support prototype fabrication, assembly, production transition, configuration control, and fielded system sustainment • Provide technical and career mentoring to less-experienced engineers and designers Minimum Requirements: • Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline • 10+ years of progressively responsible experience in mechanical design and integration of electronic hardware for aerospace, defense, or similar applications • Strong proficiency with mechanical CAD tools, such as SolidWorks or equivalent, including complex assemblies and detailed design • Experience producing and reviewing production-ready mechanical drawings and documentation • Strong understanding of mechanical interfaces, tolerancing, alignment, installation practices, and interface control documents (ICDs) • Familiarity with military and aerospace connectors (e.g., MIL-DTL-38999, ARINC, Micro-D) • Strong understanding of mechanical drafting standards, GD&T, tolerance analysis, and configuration-controlled documentation • Familiarity with structural analysis methods, including hand calculations and FEA • Demonstrated experience designing or integrating ruggedized hardware and considering applicable environmental requirements • Experience interpreting and applying military standards, such as MIL-STD-810 and related platform qualification requirements • Proven ability to make sound mechanical design decisions and resolve complex integration challenges in collaboration with cross-disciplinary teams • Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to operate effectively in fast-paced, multi-disciplinary development environments • Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance Preferred Requirements: • Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field • Prior experience serving as a lead mechanical engineer or technical authority on a program • Experience with system-level requirements allocation, architecture trade studies, and mechanical subsystem definition • Experience supporting environmental qualification testing and analysis (thermal cycling, vibration, shock) • Experience with commercial FEA or multiphysics simulation tools, such as NASTRAN, ABAQUS, ANSYS, COMSOL, or similar tools • Experience with mechanisms, actuation systems, structures, thermal management, packaging, cable routing, connector layouts, or electromechanical integration • Experience with prototyping, additive manufacturing, CNC machining, fabrication, assembly, and transition to production • Familiarity with aerospace, defense, military, or other ruggedized hardware standards and specifications Why CHAOS? • Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company • Additional benefits: 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more • Our Perks: Free daily lunch, ‘No meeting Fridays’, unlimited PTO, casual dress code • Compensation Components: Competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon!) annual bonuses • Team Growth: 300 employees and counting across 5 global offices $198-248k The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. #LI-onsite