Mechanical Engineer, Roadrunner

Costa Mesa · Costa Mesa, CA (OC-00) · USD 129,000-171,000 · 5+ years experience · Posted Sep 25, 2026

At a glance

The Air Dominance and Strike Mechanical Engineering Team is responsible for designing and integrating advanced hardware for high speed air vehicles.
Mechanical Engineers own the full development lifecycle, from concept generation, to integration and flight test.

Own designs from concept generation to real world use including avionics, mechanisms, thermal systems, fuel systems, and other general design tasks as required.
Develop and integrate hardware on unmanned air vehicles.
Use first principles physics as a basis for every decision.
Lead design reviews, run analysis, visit vendors, define and execute hardware test plans.
Build prototypes, analyze failures, and transition successful projects into production.
Support critical hardware demonstrations with customers as needed.
Travel to test sites as needed.
Support the design and analysis of composite structures, including the development of tooling essential for high-volume production.

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related discipline.
5+ years of experience in mechanical engineering or related roles.
Proficiency designing mechanical parts using CAD software (Siemens NX preferred).
Understanding of scalable manufacturing methods for composites, metal components and plastics (e.g. machining, sheet metal, composites, 3D printing, injection molding, etc.).
Strong technical knowledge in core engineering principles and first principles physics.
Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance.

Broad experience working across multiple mechanical engineering domains (e.g. mechanisms, thermal systems, avionics, fuel systems, structures).
Ability to adapt designs from metal components to composites, with a basic understanding of material trade-offs.
Knowledge of advanced manufacturing techniques for composites and plastics.
Hands-on experience with composites and tool design, including familiarity with out-of-autoclave fabrication methods.
Experience in thermal and structural analysis.