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Salary: USD 150,000 - 200,000 / annual
CHAOS Industries is seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer to lead the mechanical design and productization of passive RF geolocation sensors for their electromagnetic warfare product line. The company has developed a working prototype of a distributed TDOA geolocation sensor and now needs an engineer to transform it into a rugged, repeatable product suitable for manufacturing and deployment in fixed-site, mast-mounted, and ground-vehicle configurations.
As the mechanical technical lead for the sensor node, you will define the enclosure and mounting architecture, solve thermal, environmental, and RF-integration challenges for a precision-timing sensor operating outdoors, and deliver a design ready for production at scale. You will work daily with RF, electrical, and software engineers and partner closely with Manufacturing Engineering to ensure the design is production-ready from day one.
Key responsibilities include:
- Owning the mechanical architecture and detailed design of the sensor node, including enclosures, chassis, internal structures, brackets, cable management, and external interfaces
- Designing fixed-site and ground-vehicle mounting solutions with quick-deploy, leveling, and alignment features
- Leading thermal design and analysis for sealed outdoor electronics, including heat sinking, thermal interface materials, solar loading, and passive/active cooling tradeoffs
- Designing for environmental robustness per MIL-STD-810 and customer requirements, including IP67 or equivalent ingress protection, sealing, corrosion resistance, shock, vibration, humidity, and temperature extremes
- Partnering with RF and electrical engineers on antenna integration, GPS/GNSS timing-reference mounting, EMI/EMC shielding, grounding, and connector selection to support MIL-STD-461
- Performing structural, thermal, and tolerance analyses using hand calculations and FEA to drive design decisions
- Applying DFM/DFA principles and working with Manufacturing Engineering and suppliers to reduce cost, part count, and assembly time
- Creating production-quality CAD models, GD&T drawings, mechanical BOMs, and interface control documents
- Rapid prototyping using additive manufacturing, CNC machining, and sheet metal, iterating based on fit-checks, lab testing, and field feedback
- Planning and supporting environmental qualification testing, including test fixture design, execution, and failure investigation
- Supporting make/buy assessments and vendor selection for machine shops, enclosure vendors, and contract manufacturers
- Supporting field demonstrations and customer integration events
- Periodic travel up to 25%, including to field test sites and CHAOS facilities in Southern California
CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised $1 billion in funding from leading investors including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in Washington D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, and London. The company employs 500+ employees across 5 global offices.
Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline
- 5+ years of experience in mechanical design of electronics enclosures or electromechanical systems for aerospace, defense, telecommunications, or other harsh-environment applications
- Demonstrated experience taking hardware from prototype through production release
- Strong proficiency with CAD tools (SolidWorks or equivalent) for parts, assemblies, and production drawings
- Strong working knowledge of GD&T, tolerance stack-up analysis, and engineering drawing standards (ASME Y14.5)
- Experience with thermal management of electronics and sealed or outdoor enclosures
- Familiarity with structural and thermal analysis methods (hand calculations, FEA)
- Working knowledge of common manufacturing processes: CNC machining, sheet metal, die casting, injection molding, finishing and coatings
- Experience designing to environmental requirements such as MIL-STD-810, IP ratings, or equivalent standards
- Strong communication skills and ability to work closely with RF, electrical, and software engineers
- Must be able to work on-site 4-5 days per week in Washington, D.C.
- U.S. citizen
- Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance
Preferred qualifications:
- Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field
- Current U.S. security clearance
- Experience with RF hardware, antennas, radomes, or SDR-based systems, including EMI shielding and gasketing design
- Experience designing hardware for mast, tower, or vehicle installations, including wind loading, vehicle shock and vibration, and transport loads
- Experience with environmental qualification test planning and execution (thermal cycling, random vibration, shock, salt fog, ingress)
- Experience with commercial FEA or multiphysics simulation packages (ANSYS, ABAQUS, NASTRAN, COMSOL, FloTHERM, Icepak)
- Familiarity with military-style connectors and cabling (MIL-DTL-38999, TNC/N-type RF connectors)
- Experience working with contract manufacturers and offshore or domestic machine shops
- Experience with PLM/PDM systems and formal configuration control
- Experience in early-stage or startup hardware environments
