Your MissionAs a Senior Mechanical Engineer at GITAI, you will lead mechanical design at the project level, from early system architecture through detailed design, manufacturing, integration, testing, and redesign. Your responsibility extends beyond an individual component or subsystem. You will understand the system as a whole, make the mechanical design decisions needed to move the project forward, and stay hands-on in CAD, early hardware builds, integration, and testing. This role requires strong technical judgment. Requirements will often be incomplete, several approaches may appear viable, and test data may be limited. You will identify the critical constraints, make clear tradeoffs, choose a direction, and accelerate the design-build-test loop.
This is a senior individual-contributor role. You will provide technical direction and review the work of other engineers while continuing to build and test hardware yourself. Prior space or defense experience is not required. We value engineers who learn unfamiliar technical domains quickly, approach new problems with an open mind, and apply strong engineering judgment developed in other industries to space and defense missions.
What You'll Drive- Lead mechanical design across projects, from early architecture and trade studies through detailed design, build, and test.
- Make critical technical decisions under ambiguous requirements, balancing performance, manufacturability, reliability, schedule, and cost.
- Stay deeply hands-on. Design hardware yourself, support early fabrication and assembly, run tests, diagnose failures, and iterate quickly.
- Accelerate the design-build-test loop by finding the shortest path to real hardware and useful test data.
- Lead design reviews and raise the technical bar for mechanical engineering across the team.
What We're Looking For- Bachelor's degree or higher in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a closely related engineering field.
- 7+ years of hands-on mechanical engineering experience developing complex hardware.
- Strong technical judgment and a track record of making sound design decisions with incomplete information.
- Deep experience personally taking hardware from concept through design, fabrication, assembly, test, and iteration.
- Strong fundamentals in mechanical design, GD&T, materials, manufacturing processes, structural analysis, and system-level tradeoffs.
- Must be a U.S. citizen, as this role may require access to classified projects and eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance.
Location & Employment Details- Location: Torrance, CA
- Employment Type: Full-Time, Exempt
- Work Arrangement: Onsite, five days per week
- Travel: Offsite integration and test work is expected based on program needs. Travel may increase during critical test campaigns.
- Typical Work Hours: Monday to Friday, approximately 9:00am to 6:00pm. Flexibility is expected based on mission schedules and program needs.
CompensationThe annual base salary range for this position is expected to be $155,000 to $200,000. Actual compensation and final level will be determined based on relevant experience, demonstrated mechanical-design capability, technical leadership, hands-on manufacturing and test experience, and other job-related factors. This position is also eligible for stock options and company benefits.
Benefits- Health Insurance - Platinum medical plan with 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees; 90% for dependents
- 401(k) Plan - Company match up to 3.5%, with traditional and Roth options
- Equity - Stock option eligibility depending on role
- Relocation Support - Available for qualifying positions
- Time Off - 12 paid holidays per year, 12 days of paid vacation per year, and paid sick leave (in accordance with applicable law)
- Office Perks - Free snacks and drinks, plus regular team events
No agency submissions, please.
Compensation may include base salary or hourly pay and, depending on the position, equity. Actual compensation will be determined based on experience, skillset, and other job-related factors.
LA salary range
$155,000-$200,000 USD
