Staff Engineer, Mechanical Design - Launch and Recovery Systems

Location: Dallas, Texas, United States; on-site

Salary: $136,730–$205,096 per year, plus bonus, benefits, and equity for regular employees.

Company

hirify.global is a venture-backed defense-tech company developing AI-powered autonomous aircraft, autonomy software, and simulation technologies for national defense.

What you will do

• Design and develop mechanical Ground Support Equipment, including power units, transport structures, launch and recovery systems, and maintenance tools.
• Create CAD models, manufacturing drawings, specifications, and system layouts.
• Perform structural, thermal, fatigue, and lifecycle analyses for rugged field environments.
• Collaborate with engineering, manufacturing, suppliers, and flight operations teams to integrate GSE with aircraft and mission operations.
• Lead trade studies, prototyping, testing, validation, and system optimization for portability, ruggedness, and maintainability.
• Develop technical documentation and support flight-test campaigns and ground-system operations.

Requirements

• 7+ years of mechanical design experience in aerospace, ground support equipment, or heavy industrial systems.
• Expertise with CAD software such as SolidWorks, CATIA, NX, or similar.
• Strong experience in structural analysis, material selection, manufacturing processes, FEA, thermal analysis, and fatigue testing.
• Experience designing deployable, transportable, and field-ready aerospace support equipment.
• Knowledge of MIL-STD design requirements for aerospace ground support systems.
• Ability to work in an agile environment and obtain a S//SAR-level security clearance.

Nice to have

• Experience with UAS or military aircraft ground support equipment.
• Knowledge of power distribution, hydraulics, and environmental control systems.
• Experience with DoD acquisition, sustainment, and field deployment strategies.
• Experience supporting military aircraft maintenance and sustainment operations.
• Active Secret or Top Secret clearance, or ability to obtain one.

Culture & Benefits

• Regular full-time employees receive benefits, bonus eligibility, and equity.
• Salary is determined by skills, experience, certifications, licenses, and work location.
• Employment is subject to a cleared background and possible reference check.
• Equal opportunity and affirmative action workplace with accommodation support available.
• AI tools may support parts of the hiring process, while final decisions remain with human reviewers.