Senior Mechanical Engineer, DFM Focus

About the role

We are seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer with a strong background in high-volume product development and production-oriented mechanical design. This role focuses on creating robust, manufacturable components and assemblies for unmanned aircraft systems, with emphasis on Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) at production rates of 1,000+ units per month.

Required Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead mechanical design of airframe structures, housings, and mechanically complex assemblies intended for high-volume production environments.
• Drive DFM and DFA principles from concept through release, ensuring designs are optimized for repeatability, cost, and quality at volumes of 1,000+/month.
• Select appropriate manufacturing processes (e.g., injection molding, stamping, die casting, compression molding, machined components) based on performance, cost, and production scale.
• Collaborate closely with electrical engineering to integrate batteries, motors, avionics, sensors, and wiring within constrained aircraft volumes.
• Collaborate closely with Aero engineering to ensure the finished product meets the aerodynamic criteria such as surface roughness, steps and gaps.
• Perform tolerance analysis, evaluate material choices, and assess manufacturability trade-offs.
• Work directly with manufacturing engineers, suppliers, and production teams to validate tooling, address build issues, and improve assembly efficiency.
• Generate detailed CAD models, assemblies, and production documentation under configuration control.
• Support prototype builds and conduct hands-on troubleshooting during integration and testing.
• Provide technical mentorship and guide junior engineers in best practices for high-volume mechanical design.

Required Skills/Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in mechanical design for aerospace, consumer electronics, automotive, robotics, or similar electromechanical products.
• Proven track record of designing components and assemblies for high-volume production (1,000+/month).
• Strong understanding of DFM, DFA, tooling considerations, and manufacturing cost drivers.
• Fluency with 3D CAD tools (SolidWorks preferred), including advanced part and assembly design.
• Experience collaborating with electrical teams, including familiarity with harness routing, PCB packaging, and integration of electrical components.
• Familiarity with manufacturing processes conducive to volume of 1,000+/month, such as injection-molded plastic, sheet metal stamping, aluminum die-cast, aluminum extrusion, or compression-molded composites.
• Strong understanding of tolerance stack-ups, material selection, and mechanical fundamentals.
• Able to communicate effectively across disciplines and with external suppliers.

Preferred Skills/Qualifications

• Experience with injection-molded, stamped, die-cast, extruded, or compression-molded components.
• Experience bringing products through tooling, pilot builds, and scaling to production.
• Familiarity with production automation, fixture design, or assembly line considerations.
• Background working on compact electromechanical systems requiring tight packaging constraints.
• Experience with aircraft, unmanned systems, robotics, or similar products.
• Exposure to composites manufacturing and lightweight structural design.
• Experience qualifying suppliers or working with manufacturing partners.