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Kela is building an open, secure operating system that re-orchestrates the modern military stack, integrating commercial and military technology without vendor lock-in. Backed by Sequoia, Lux, and In-Q-Tel, the company pairs US industrial strength with Israeli battle-tested innovation to compress capability development from years to days.
You will be the founding Head of Mechanical Engineering in the US, building and leading the mechanical engineering function from the ground up. This is a hands-on leadership role with direct impact on product development and organizational growth.
Key Responsibilities:
- Own mechanical engineering across two business lines (Kinetics and CUAS) and lead ME for new business lines as they launch
- Serve as senior technical authority for mechanical design: requirements, architecture, design reviews, and qualification
- Build and lead the US ME team: own hiring plan, recruit top talent, establish team culture
- Own design-for-manufacture strategy; work with head of US manufacturing to scale from small-batch to rate production (targeting hundreds of units per day)
- Lead ME support for qualification and safety board approval of kinetics products in coordination with Israel engineering team
- Establish ME toolchain, standards, and processes to keep the organization fast and efficient
18-Month Outcomes:
First 3 months: Complete onboarding by embedding with Kinetics and CUAS teams; take technical ownership of current mechanical designs; establish relationships with Israel engineering and US manufacturing leadership; complete hiring plan and begin recruiting; identify and mitigate top mechanical risks.
6 months: Onboard 3-4 ME hires; support safety board qualification of kinetics products; establish DFM plan for rate production; define ME design standards, review process, and toolchain.
18 months: Fully built ME organization running both business lines and ready to scale new ones; products designed for and in full-scale domestic rate production; mechanical engineering as a competitive advantage.
The role is currently remote with an engineering office opening in Southern California this year. The company plans to maintain an in-office culture to support high-cadence hardware development and collaboration, with flexibility for travel and global coordination.
Requirements:
The posting does not explicitly state years of experience, education, or specific certifications required. However, the role implies senior-level mechanical engineering expertise: deep experience leading mechanical design from concept through production, team building and hiring capability, familiarity with design-for-manufacture at scale, and experience with qualification/safety processes for hardware products. Candidates should have a track record in complex mechanical systems, preferably in defense, aerospace, or high-reliability hardware domains.
