Position OverviewSaronic is seeking a
Principal Mechanical Engineer to provide senior technical leadership across the mechanical engineering organization. This role reports to the Director of Mechanical Engineering and will work across four core areas:
Perception Hardware, Marine Engineering, Mechanical Integration, and Structures.
This engineer will be accountable for helping teams solve high-priority mechanical engineering problems, make sound technical decisions, and deliver reliable hardware for autonomous surface vessels operating in harsh maritime environments. The ideal candidate has broad mechanical depth, strong first-principles judgment, and the ability to move quickly between design, analysis, integration, test, and production support.
Responsibilities- Lead resolution of complex mechanical engineering issues across perception hardware, marine systems, vehicle integration, and structures.
- Provide technical direction during design reviews, program reviews, trade studies, root-cause investigations, and build/test activities.
- Drive sound engineering decisions across mechanical architecture, subsystem packaging, structural design, marine auxiliary systems, and sensor integration.
- Review and improve designs, analyses, drawings, test plans, and validation strategies to ensure technical rigor and execution quality.
- Partner with mechanical, electrical, perception, manufacturing, and program teams to deliver hardware that is manufacturable, serviceable, reliable, and production ready.
- Mentor engineers and raise the standard for mechanical design practices, analysis methods, documentation, and cross-functional execution.
QualificationsRequired- Bachelor's degree or greater in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Marine Engineering, Structural Engineering, or a related field.
- 10+ years of mechanical engineering experience in complex hardware development.
- Strong fundamentals in mechanical design, structural analysis, materials, tolerance analysis, manufacturability, and system integration.
- Experience supporting hardware through concept, design, analysis, prototype build, test, and production.
- Proficiency with 3D CAD tools such as Siemens NX, SolidWorks, Creo, or similar.
- Experience with hand calculations, FEA, design reviews, engineering drawings, and root-cause analysis.
- Ability to communicate clearly, make decisions with incomplete information, and lead technical execution across multiple teams.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
Preferred- Experience with autonomous systems, maritime systems, robotics, aerospace, defense, or other harsh-environment hardware platforms.
- Experience in one or more of the following areas: perception hardware, optomechanical systems, marine auxiliary systems, mechanical integration, electronics packaging, or structures.
- Familiarity with shock, vibration, corrosion, environmental sealing, thermal management, fatigue, and serviceability considerations.
- Experience with ASME Y14.5, GD&T, Femap, ANSYS, CFD, thermal tools, or production release processes.
- Prior experience on DoD programs or unmanned maritime systems.
- Professional Engineer license or similar professional certification.
This role requires access to export-controlled information or items that require "U.S. Person" status. As defined by U.S. law, individuals who are any one of the following are considered to be a "U.S. Person": (1) U.S. citizens, (2) legal permanent residents (a.k.a. green card holders), and (3) certain protected classes of asylees and refugees, as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).
