Vehicle Engineering owns the missile as a physical object from design through flight: structures, mechanical integration of the full subsystem stack, and the build.
About the RoleYou will design, analyze, build, and test primary and secondary structures, the mechanisms that move on the vehicle, and the launcher and ground support equipment the program runs on. You will work alongside our Principal Mechanical Engineer.
This is a generalist role. We do not have the headcount yet to split airframe, mechanisms, GSE, and launcher across separate engineers, and we are not trying to. The right person reaches across all of it, makes the calls that need making, and pulls in deeper analysis or outside help where the problem warrants it.
Every design decision is also a unit-cost decision, and we expect you to design accordingly.
What You'll Do- Be a Responsible Engineer for a major subsystem of the interceptor. Work may include primary and secondary structures, mating interfaces with propulsion, seekers, avionics, GNC, recovery, and mechanisms.
- Take parts from CAD to prototype to proven flight hardware. Specify, source, machine, fabricate, inspect, and assemble alongside the technician team.
- Design and build the launcher and the ground equipment the program runs on: handling fixtures, transport cradles, environmental enclosures, and the systems that mate the vehicle to the rail.
- Run vehicle integration, environmental test, and ground and flight test campaigns. Reduce data, close out anomalies, and feed the lessons back into the design.
- Select materials, processes, and joining methods with cost and producibility top of mind. Pick the simplest solution that meets the requirement.
- Coordinate with aero on outer mold line implementation, with propulsion on case and nozzle integration, with avionics on tray and harness routing, with the seeker team on optical-package interfaces, and with the Control Actuation System Engineer on fin actuator integration into the airframe: hinge supports, OML cutouts, and sealing.
Skills We're Hiring For- B.S. in Mechanical, Aerospace, or related engineering. M.S. welcome.
- 6+ years of hands-on mechanical design of flight structures or similarly mission critical systems.
- Strong structural intuition. Know the right time and place for hand calcs, FEM, and ground testing, and pick the minimum needed to safely size your structure in the allotted timeframe.
- Fluency in metallic or composite design, analysis, and manufacturing.
- Modern CAD and PDM fluency. We use NX and Teamcenter.
- Proficiency with GD&T and a strong eye for manufacturability in part design.
- Hands-on builder posture. Comfortable on the shop floor, at a test stand, and at a vendor.
- Excellent cross disciplinary communication skills.
- U.S. Person, eligible to obtain a U.S. SECRET security clearance.
Bonus Points For- Tactical missile, munition, or interceptor program experience.
- Launcher, canister, or launch-tube design experience.
- GSE and handling-equipment design at any scale.
- Hands-on safety record working with energetic and hazardous materials.
- Out-of-domain background that gives you practical, first-principles intuition (automotive, motorsports, robotics, eVTOL, hobbyist high-power rocketry). We actively want people who can solve vehicle problems without dragging legacy-prime habits with them.
Eligibility & Logistics Location: On-site at our Los Angeles, CA HQ; remote work is not available. Monthly weekend travel for test events and supplier engagements. Clearance: A clearance is not required for this position. Must be a U.S. Person.
AI assists in reviewing applications. Humans make final hiring decisions. Contact us with questions.
