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Senior Mechanical Engineer, RF Sensor Productization

Washington, District of Columbia, United States

CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage—domain dominance. The company's 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, and London. For more information, please visit www.chaosinc.com.

Role Overview:
CHAOS is seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer to own the mechanical design and productization of the passive RF geolocation sensors in our electromagnetic warfare product line. Our Spectrum Sensing Team has developed and fielded a working prototype of a distributed TDOA geolocation sensor. Now we need an engineer who can turn it into a rugged, repeatable product that can be manufactured and deployed in fixed-site, mast-mounted, and ground-vehicle configurations.

In this role, you will be the mechanical technical lead for the sensor node. You will define the enclosure and mounting architecture, solve the thermal, environmental, and RF-integration challenges of a precision-timing sensor operating outdoors, and deliver a design that can be built at rate. You will work daily with the RF, electrical, and software engineers who built the prototype, and you will partner closely with Manufacturing Engineering to make sure the design is ready for production from day one.

The ideal candidate has taken ruggedized electronics hardware from prototype through qualification and into production, is fluent in DFM/DFA, and enjoys being hands-on in a small, fast-moving, cross-disciplinary team.

This is a full-time, on-site position in Washington, D.C.

Responsibilities:

As the mechanical lead for the Spectrum Sensing Team's productization effort, the Senior Mechanical Engineer will:

  • Own the mechanical architecture and detailed design of the sensor node, including enclosures, chassis, internal structures, brackets, cable management, and external interfaces
  • Design fixed-site (mast, tower, and rooftop) and ground-vehicle mounting solutions, including quick-deploy, leveling, and alignment features as needed
  • Lead thermal design and analysis for sealed outdoor electronics, including heat sinking, thermal interface materials, solar loading, and passive and active cooling tradeoffs
  • Design for environmental robustness, including ingress protection (IP67 or equivalent), sealing, corrosion resistance, shock, vibration, humidity, and temperature extremes, in line with MIL-STD-810 and customer requirements
  • Partner with RF and electrical engineers on antenna and RF integration, GPS/GNSS and timing-reference mounting, EMI/EMC shielding and grounding, and connector selection to support MIL-STD-461 and system performance
  • Perform first-order structural, thermal, and tolerance analyses (hand calculations and FEA) to drive design decisions and requirements allocation
  • Apply DFM/DFA principles and work with Manufacturing Engineering and suppliers to drive down cost, part count, and assembly time
  • Create and release production-quality CAD models, drawings with GD&T, mechanical BOMs, and interface control documents (ICDs)
  • Prototype rapidly using additive manufacturing, CNC machining, and sheet metal, then iterate based on fit-checks, lab testing, and field feedback
  • Plan and support environmental qualification testing (thermal, vibration, shock, ingress), including test fixture design, test execution, and failure investigation
  • Support make/buy assessments and the selection of machine shops, enclosure vendors, and contract manufacturers
  • Support field demonstrations and customer integration events with installation, fit-checks, and troubleshooting
  • This role will require periodic travel, up to [25%], including to field test sites and CHAOS facilities in Southern California

Minimum Requirements:

  • Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline
  • 5+ years of experience in mechanical design of electronics enclosures or electromechanical systems for aerospace, defense, telecommunications, or other harsh-environment applications
  • Demonstrated experience taking hardware from prototype through production release
  • Strong proficiency with CAD tools (e.g., SolidWorks or equivalent) for parts, assemblies, and production drawings
  • Strong working knowledge of GD&T, tolerance stack-up analysis, and engineering drawing standards (ASME Y14.5)
  • Experience with thermal management of electronics and sealed or outdoor enclosures
  • Familiarity with structural and thermal analysis methods (hand calculations, FEA)
  • Working knowledge of common manufacturing processes, such as CNC machining, sheet metal, die casting, injection molding, and finishing and coatings
  • Experience designing to environmental requirements, such as MIL-STD-810, IP ratings, or equivalent standards
  • Strong communication skills and the ability to work closely with RF, electrical, and software engineers
  • Must be able to work on-site 4-5 days per week in Washington, D.C.
  • U.S. citizen
  • Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance

Preferred Requirements:

  • Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field
  • Current U.S. security clearance
  • Experience with RF hardware, antennas, radomes, or SDR-based systems, including EMI shielding and gasketing design
  • Experience designing hardware for mast, tower, or vehicle installations, including wind loading, vehicle shock and vibration, and transport loads
  • Experience with environmental qualification test planning and execution (thermal cycling, random vibration, shock, salt fog, ingress)
  • Experience with commercial FEA or multiphysics simulation packages (ANSYS, ABAQUS, NASTRAN, COMSOL, FloTHERM, Icepak, etc.)
  • Familiarity with military-style connectors and cabling (e.g., MIL-DTL-38999, TNC/N-type RF connectors)
  • Experience working with contract manufacturers and offshore or domestic machine shops
  • Experience with PLM/PDM systems and formal configuration control
  • Experience in an early-stage or startup hardware environment

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 while you're working onsite, fully-stocked kitchen, 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: 500+ employees and counting across 5 global offices
Salary Range: $150,000 - $200,000

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. 

 

Recruiting Agencies: CHAOS Industries does not accept unsolicited resumes or outreach. Unsolicited submissions will not be reviewed or compensated.

 

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Please note this position does not necessarily require eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance. 

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EXPORT CONTROLS - This position may require access to information and technology that is subject to U.S. export controls. Your responses to the questions below will be used solely to determine your eligibility under U.S. law to receive information and materials subject to U.S. export controls.

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