Principal Mechanical Engineer (Defense)

TL;DR

Principal Mechanical Engineer (Defense): Providing innovative design solutions for integrating ruggedized electronics, effectors, and launchers into ground and sea mobile platforms with an accent on mechanical design, CAD modeling, FEA analysis, and compliance with military standards. Focus on developing ruggedized hardware, supporting prototyping and testing in lab/field environments, leading design reviews, and serving as technical interface with vendors and customers.

Onsite in Hawthorne, California, United States

Salary Range: $150,000 - $250,000

Company

hirify.global is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams.

What you will do

• Perform mechanical design and integration of military electronics and structures onto ground vehicles and ships
• Develop ruggedized military hardware compliant with standards and requirements
• Create detailed 3D models, drawings, and assemblies using CAD software (SolidWorks)
• Conduct hand calculations, FEA, and CAD to validate designs against internal and customer requirements
• Lead design reviews, hardware qualification, and create installation drawings/interface documents
• Support prototyping, testing, validation, and act as technical liaison with vendors, suppliers, and customers
• Travel domestically up to 10% of the time

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field
• 8+ years of experience with CAD and FEA software in a professional setting
• Strong knowledge of industry practices, drafting standards, and drawing notes for military/commercial hardware
• Experience with designing for manufacturability
• Proficiency in Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing (GD&T)
• Hands-on experience with hardware integration
• Excellent problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and ability to work in a fast-paced environment

Nice to have

• Master’s Degree or PhD in a STEM field
• Experience designing/integrating vehicle-mounted structures, gimbals, or launchers
• Experience with SolidWorks, commercial FEA/multiphysics packages (NASTRAN, ABAQUS, ANSYS, etc.)
• Familiarity with military specifications (MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-461) and connectors
• Skills in cable harness design, electrical schematics, prototyping, additive manufacturing, CNC machining
• Experience developing proposal concepts and writing proposals

Culture & Benefits

• Health benefits: medical, dental, vision 100% paid by company
• 401k with 50% company match up to 6% of pay, FSA, HSA, life insurance
• Perks: free daily lunch, ‘No meeting Fridays’, unlimited PTO, casual dress code
• Competitive base salary, pre-IPO stock options, relocation assistance, annual bonuses (coming soon)
• 200 employees across 5 global offices with team growth