Principal Mechanical Engineer (Aerospace)

Location: San Francisco, United States; in-office work five days a week is an essential part of the role.

Salary: $220K–$270K annually.

Company

hirify.global is a vertically integrated aerospace company developing scalable technology for critical infrastructure, mission operations, and the future of flight.

What you will do

• Own the mechanical architecture of major Duality™ jet-engine subsystems, including requirements, interfaces, and design approach.
• Lead trade studies, engine configuration decisions, design reviews, and mechanical design standards.
• Guide systems from early prototype through flight qualification, vehicle integration, and aircraft flight.
• Collaborate across propulsion, aircraft, test, and manufacturing teams to resolve system-level tradeoffs.
• Mentor senior and mid-level engineers while remaining hands-on in CAD, analysis, prototype builds, and testing.
• Lead root-cause investigations, corrective actions, and technical risk-retirement plans.

Requirements

• 10+ years of hands-on mechanical design experience, including technical leadership of complex hardware programs from concept through build and test.
• Experience owning the architecture of a major system or product, not only individual components.
• Deep expertise in a major CAD package; Siemens NX is preferred, with CATIA, Creo, or SolidWorks experience supported for transition.
• Expert knowledge of machining, additive manufacturing, sheet metal, precision measurement, and GD&T.
• Strong command of structural analysis, heat transfer, and fluid mechanics, with judgment about when to analyze and when to test.
• Experience mentoring engineers and raising the technical standard of a team.
• Ability to communicate complex technical tradeoffs to engineers, leadership, and external stakeholders.
• Comfort making decisions under uncertainty in a fast-moving environment.

Nice to have

• Experience designing propulsion systems such as gas turbines, rocket engines, or other turbomachinery.
• Experience with high-temperature, high-speed rotating, or pressurized hardware.
• Flight hardware design, qualification, or certification experience.
• Familiarity with data acquisition, instrumentation, and test program design.
• Exposure to electromechanical systems or power electronics integration.
• Experience at an early-stage hardware company during rapid growth.

Culture & Benefits

• Flat, pragmatic engineering culture with subject-matter expertise and close involvement in hardware.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance, including Flexible Spending Accounts.
• 401(k) program and transparent stock option plan.
• Self-managed flexible time off, PTO, paid holidays, and sick time.
• Company-funded perks including weekly team lunches and company swag.