Principal/Senior Principal Mechanical Engineer

• 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
• border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly
• 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
• Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle
• London. For more information, please visit www.chaosinc.com .
• Role Overview:
• CHAOS is seeking an experienced Principal or Sr Principal Mechanical Engineer to lead the design, development
• integration of advanced missile and UAV launcher systems. This role owns end-to-end mechanical design from concept development through production and sustainment, of launcher systems supporting solid rocket motor effectors, turbine-powered UAVs
• electrically powered UAV systems across mobile ground and maritime platforms. This role collaborates closely across functions and provides technical management of subcontracts.
• This role is suited for engineers who thrive in fast-paced, hands-on environments and are comfortable owning hardware from concept through field deployment.
• The ideal candidate has strong hands-on mechanical CAD and system integration experience, demonstrated launcher design and integration success, a deep understanding of ruggedized hardware design
• a proven ability to work independently and guide cross-disciplinary engineering efforts.
• This is a full-time, on-site position in Hawthorne, CA. Level (Principal vs Sr Principal) will be determined based on relevant technical and leadership experience

Responsibilities

• Own mechanical architecture and integration of launcher systems across multiple platforms (ground and maritime)
• Define and manage mechanical and electro-mechanical interfaces between missile, canister, and platform
• Develop solutions for environmental protection and blast, plume, and thermal effects including gas management, shielding, and structural protection
• Ensure compliance with safety interlock requirements and launch sequencing constraints.
• Design mechanical safing features and contribute to system-level hazard analyses.
• Design and develop mechanisms and actuation systems for deployment, retention, and release
• Ensure compliance with relevant military standards
• Serve as a primary technical hardware interface with customers, platform providers, suppliers, and manufacturing partners. Perform make/buy assessments
• Lead integration of launcher systems onto mobile ground and maritime platforms, accounting for structural loads, motion environments, corrosion, and installation constraints
• Support production transition, configuration control, and fielded system sustainment, including investigation and resolution of integration issues
• Minimum Requirements:
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline
• 10+ years of progressively responsible experience in mechanical design and system integration for aerospace or defense
• Demonstrated experience designing missile launcher systems or closely related hardware
• Strong background in structural design, mechanisms, and ruggedized hardware for harsh environments
• Experience with electro-mechanical integration, including power and data interfaces and connector systems
• Working knowledge of blast, thermal, and dynamic loads associated with rocket or missile systems
• Familiarity with system safety principles, including safe-and-arm or fuzing interfaces and launch interlocks
• Strong proficiency with CAD tools (e.g., SolidWorks or equivalent) and experience designing large assemblies
• Solid understanding of mechanical interfaces, tolerancing, alignment, installation practices, and interface control documents (ICDs)
• Experience interpreting and applying military standards (e.g., MIL-STD-810) and environmental qualification practices
• Demonstrated ability to lead technical decisions and resolve cross-disciplinary integration challenges
• Strong communication skills and ability to operate across multiple programs
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance
• Preferred Requirements:
• Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field
• Prior experience serving as a mechanical technical authority on a program
• Experience planning, instrumenting, and executing hardware tests
• Experience with designing and integrating mechanisms and actuation systems
• Experience with system-level requirements allocation
• Familiarity with vehicle integration constraints, including shock, vibration, transport, and operational loads
• Experience with at least one commercial FEA or multiphysics simulation package (NASTRAN, ABAQUS, ANSYS, CFD codes, COMSOL, etc.)
• Knowledge of manufacturing and assembly processes for mobile or deployable mechanical structures and mechanisms
• Experience with prototyping, additive manufacturing, CNC machining, and other fabrication techniques
• Familiarity with military-style connectors (e.g., mil-circular 38999, ARINC, micro-D)
• 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: 250 employees and counting across 5 global offices
• $160k-260k
• The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity
• 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.
• #LI-onsite