Lead Mechanical Engineer

LEAD MECHANICAL ENGINEER

Our hardware platform demands mechanical systems engineered for micron-scale precision and high-volume automated manufacturing from the start. We are seeking a Lead Mechanical Engineer to own mechanical development across our hardware platform—personally designing and analyzing critical assemblies while building and leading the team that delivers them. You will architect mechanical systems that integrate high-precision optics, photonics, and advanced packaging into products explicitly designed for scalable, autonomous manufacturing with minimal manual intervention.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Technical & Product Ownership

• Lead mechanical execution from concept through production ramp, personally designing and analyzing high-impact components and assemblies
• Translate product architecture into mechanical system strategy, defining the packaging approach and tolerance architecture across optical, electrical, and mechanical interfaces
• Architect electro-mechanical assemblies for highly automated, scalable manufacturing—ensuring designs enable autonomous assembly, precision placement, micron-scale metallurgical processes, and robust DFM execution
• Lead structural, thermal, and reliability analysis and decision-making; identify mechanical risks early and define validation strategies to retire them
• Drive design-for-manufacturability, design-for-assembly, and design-for-test across the mechanical subsystem; own supplier readiness from prototyping through production ramp
• Interface with optical, electrical, firmware, and process engineering teams to define system-level interfaces, integration constraints, and co-design trade-offs

Team Leadership

• Provide day-to-day technical leadership to a small and growing team of mechanical engineers who own scoped subsystems
• Lead design reviews and ensure subsystem designs align with system-level requirements, schedule, and quality targets
• Establish mechanical design standards, documentation discipline, and review rigor across the team
• Mentor engineers, raise the technical bar, and contribute to hiring and growth of the mechanical function

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in mechanical engineering or a related discipline
• 4+ years of experience designing complex hardware systems, with demonstrated ownership of major subsystems or full products through production ramp
• Strong first-principles foundation in mechanics of materials, heat transfer, and tolerance analysis
• Experience designing tight-tolerance precision assemblies with multi-domain interfaces (optical, electrical, thermal, or mechanical)
• Proficiency in professional 3D CAD tools (NX, SolidWorks, Creo, or equivalent)
• Proficiency in structural analysis tools (e.g., ANSYS Mechanical or equivalent FEA)
• Experience working directly with suppliers and contract manufacturers to drive production readiness and component qualification
• Experience leading technical efforts across cross-functional hardware teams
• Experience mentoring engineers or leading small technical teams
• Willingness to work extended hours and weekends as needed.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE:

• Experience in optical, photonic, semiconductor, or high-performance computing hardware development
• Experience with high-density packaging, advanced thermal management, or chip-on-carrier/module-level mechanical integration
• Thermal simulation experience (e.g., ANSYS Mechanical, Icepak, Fluent, or equivalent CFD tools)
• Experience designing for highly automated assembly environments, including familiarity with robotic pick-and-place, precision alignment, and in-line inspection constraints
• Experience with optomechanical design, including kinematic mounting, athermalization, or fiber-to-chip alignment fixturing
• Familiarity with materials selection for photonic or semiconductor-adjacent applications, including CTE matching, outgassing, and cleanliness requirements
• Experience with reliability qualification methodologies (e.g., HALT, HASS, or Telcordia-style environmental testing)
• Familiarity with configuration management, engineering change processes, and PLM tools

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay range:
Lead Mechanical Engineer: $160,000.00 - $190,000.00/per year

Title and base salary are determined on a case by case basis commensurate with experience and merit.

In addition to base salary, compensation for this role includes:

• Eligibility for long-term incentives including company stock options and discretionary bonuses awarded for exceptional achievements.
• Comprehensive medical, vision, and dental insurance with significant cost covered by the company for yourself and dependents.
• Paid parental leave and flexible PTO (3 weeks accrued vacation and 10 company holidays per year).
• 401(k) retirement plan access.
• Relocation assistance to sunny Los Angeles.