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Senior Mechanical Engineer

Hawthorne, California, United States

CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with omniscient systems that give the ultimate advantage—domain dominance. CHAOS Industries’ products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats. 

CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors, including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, and London. For more information, please visit www.chaosinc.com. 

 

Role Overview: 

CHAOS is seeking a Senior Mechanical Design Engineer to support the design, integration, and qualification of electronic hardware and enclosures for aerospace and defense applications. In this role, you will be a key contributor responsible for the detailed mechanical design of electronic subsystems. 

The position spans the full product lifecycle, from early concept development and architecture through detailed design, analysis, prototyping, qualification testing, production, and sustainment of fielded systems. 

The ideal candidate has strong hands-on mechanical CAD experience, a solid understanding of ruggedized electronics packaging design, and the ability to work independently while collaborating closely with electrical, RF, and systems engineers. 

This is a full-time, on-site position in Hawthorne, CA. 

 
Responsibilities: 

  • Design ruggedized electronic hardware and enclosures, including chassis, card-level packaging, mounting features, and thermal solutions, in accordance with program requirements and applicable standards 
  • Develop and maintain 3D CAD models, assemblies, and interface control documentation (ICDs) to support multi-disciplinary system integration 
  • Track and manage size, weight, and mechanical allocations for electronic assemblies 
  • Perform first-order structural and thermal analyses to support design decisions and verify compliance with environmental and performance requirements 
  • Support and prototype hardware fabrication, mechanical integration, testing, and field validation activities 
  • Participate in design reviews, qualification efforts, and failure investigations 
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure mechanical designs integrate cleanly within larger systems 
  • Interface with suppliers, vendors, and manufacturing partners to support component selection, fabrication, and assembly 

Support production transition, Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA) efforts, configuration control, and sustainment of fielded hardware 

 

Minimum Requirements: 

  • Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline 
  • 4+ years Relevant experience in mechanical design and integration of electronic hardware for aerospace, defense, or similar applications 
  • Strong proficiency with mechanical CAD tools (e.g., SolidWorks or equivalent) and experience producing production-ready drawings 
  • Experience designing mechanical hardware for RF, avionics, power electronics, and/or embedded computing products 
  • Solid understanding of mechanical drafting standards, GD&T, tolerance analysis, and configuration-controlled documentation 
  • Experience supporting prototype builds, integration, and qualification testing 
  • Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and ability to work effectively in fast-paced development programs 
  • Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance 

 

Preferred Requirements: 

  • Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field 
  • Advanced experience with SolidWorks for complex parts and assemblies 
  • Experience with commercial FEA or multiphysics simulation tools (e.g., NASTRAN, ABAQUS, ANSYS, COMSOL, CFD tools) 
  • Familiarity with military specifications and standards (e.g., MIL-STD-810) 
  • Familiarity with military and aerospace connectors (e.g., MIL-DTL-38999, ARINC, Micro-D) 
  • Experience supporting environmental qualification testing and analysis (e.g., thermal cycling, vibration, shock) 
  • Experience supporting cable harness routing, connector layouts, and electromechanical integration 
  • Experience with additive manufacturing, CNC machining, and prototype fabrication techniques 
  • Hands-on experience working with machine shop and prototype lab equipment 


Why CHAOS?

  • Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company
  • Additional benefits: 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more
  • Our Perks: Free daily lunch, ‘No meeting Fridays’, unlimited PTO, casual dress code
  • Compensation Components: Competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon!) annual bonuses
  • Team Growth: 200 employees and counting across 5 global offices

 

$150k - $190k

The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations.

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