What you\'ll do:- We are looking for a technically deep, hands-on Head of Mechanical Engineering to own our mechanical engineering function end-to-end. This is a senior leadership role that combines deep product expertise in electromechanical actuators with the organizational authority to set engineering direction, enforce aerospace standards, and build a high-performing team. You will serve as the technical authority for all mechanical systems and be accountable for product integrity from concept through qualification and production.
Technical Leadership & Oversight- Engineering Authority: Serve as the final technical decision-maker for all mechanical designs. Review and approve engineering drawings, analyses, and design packages across the actuator product line.
- Deep Product Ownership: Maintain comprehensive system-level knowledge of all actuator products including kinematic architecture, load paths, drivetrain design, thermal management, and qualification status.
- Design Reviews: Lead formal design reviews (PDR, CDR, TRR) and ensure all mechanical work meets internal standards and applicable aerospace/defense requirements.
- Technical Mentorship: Provide hands-on guidance to the mechanical engineering team, elevating design quality, analytical rigor, and engineering judgment across the group.
Actuator & Mechanism Development- Electromechanical Actuator Design: Lead development of precision electromechanical actuators integrating motors, geartrains, lead screws, encoders, braking systems, and structural housings for flight and industrial applications.
- Geartrain & Drivetrain Expertise: Apply deep knowledge of gear ratios, backlash control, lubrication, and AGMA standards to drivetrain design decisions.
- Mechanism Integration: Own packaging and integration of actuator sub-systems including precision bearings, seals, thermal interfaces, and position feedback elements within tight volumetric and mass constraints.
- Requirements Architecture: Translate mission-level needs into quantified functional, performance, and interface requirements for mechanical assemblies.
Aerospace Standards & Qualification- Standards Compliance: Own mechanical compliance to applicable aerospace and defense standards including DO-160, MIL-STD-810, MIL-PRF-27369, and AS9100. Identify applicable requirements early and drive design-to-compliance from inception.
- Qualification Strategy: Architect qualification and acceptance test programs including test equipment design, procedure development, and formal execution. Ensure traceability from requirements to test evidence.
- Environmental & Structural Survivability: Guide design decisions for performance in high-vibration, thermal extreme, and vacuum environments. Apply fatigue, margin of safety, and life analysis to qualify structural and dynamic hardware.
- GD&T & Drawing Standards: Enforce ASME Y14.5 GD&T on all drawings. Ensure drawing packages support both manufacturing and inspection to aerospace quality levels.
Operations & Cross-Functional Collaboration- Team Building: Hire, develop, and retain mechanical engineers. Define team structure, role responsibilities, and technical development roadmaps.
- Supply Chain Partnership: Work closely with contract manufacturers and suppliers to ensure hardware conformance. Manage NCRs, deviations, and waivers with engineering rigor.
- Production Transition: Lead DFM/DFA efforts to move designs from prototype to production-ready. Reduce cost, improve yield, and maintain performance margins through production design iterations.
- Hands-On Culture: Lead by doing. Take on design work alongside the team-own hardware, run analyses, and stay close to the product. Set the standard through personal output, not just direction.
- Program Scheduling: Partner with program management to develop detailed lower-level schedules that support project milestones. Proactively identify risks, shift resources to address issues, and keep engineering execution on track.
- Engineering Efficiency: Develop workflows, templates, and tools that accelerate design iteration without sacrificing analytical rigor or compliance. Identify and eliminate bottlenecks across the design-analyze-release cycle.
- Technology Roadmap: Collaborate with leadership to define and maintain a mechanical technology roadmap. Identify capability gaps, emerging technologies, and strategic investments that keep Salient Motion ahead of the market.
What you need:- Education: Bachelor\'s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or closely related field. Advanced degree a plus.
- Experience: 10+ years of experience in mechanical engineering, with at least 3 years in a technical leadership or senior engineering role. Deep background in electromechanical actuator or precision mechanism development required.
- Actuator Expertise: Proven, hands-on design experience with electromechanical actuators-including motor integration, geartrains, output mechanisms, and position sensing-across the full product lifecycle.
- Aerospace Standards: Demonstrated working knowledge of DO-160, MIL-STD-810, and related standards. Experience leading or contributing to formal qualification campaigns.
- Structural Analysis: Proficiency in analytical methods for strength, fatigue, stiffness, and margin of safety. Ability to perform and review hand calculations and FEA.
- CAD Mastery: Expert-level use of SolidWorks, CATIA, NX, or equivalent 3D CAD platform. Strong configuration management practices.
- GD&T: Advanced command of ASME Y14.5. Ability to define and review tolerance schemes for precision assemblies.
- Leadership: Demonstrated ability to lead technical teams, drive design reviews, and make high-stakes engineering decisions under program pressure.
Nice to have:- Experience in flight hardware programs (UAV, launch vehicle, spacecraft, or crewed systems).
- Familiarity with AS9100 quality management systems.
- Background in motor-drive integration and thermal-mechanical co-design.
- Experience qualifying hardware to MIL-PRF-27369 or similar actuation-specific standards.
- Exposure to both fast-moving R&D environments and structured compliance-driven programs.
- Prior experience at a small or scaling aerospace company.
What we have to offer:We are not just building components. We are reshaping the future of the Aerospace and Defense component industry, which is a $300B+ market! Come join us and help build next generation systems that will make a massive impact at global scale.
- Competitive compensation: $220,000 to $250,000 base salary + equity
- Exceptional healthcare benefits - Medical is 100% covered by the company
- Life Insurance (2x Salary) 100% covered by the company
- Flexible PTO, 401K, Financial Wellness Resources, and more
