Principal Mechanical Engineer
Posted Updated
Description
- Saronic is seeking a Principal Mechanical Engineer to provide senior technical leadership across the mechanical engineering organization
- This role reports to the Director of Mechanical Engineering and will work across four core areas: Perception Hardware, Marine Engineering, Mechanical Integration, and Structures
- This engineer will be accountable for helping teams solve high-priority mechanical engineering problems, make sound technical decisions, and deliver reliable hardware for autonomous surface vessels operating in harsh maritime environments
- The ideal candidate has broad mechanical depth, strong first-principles judgment, and the ability to move quickly between design, analysis, integration, test, and production support
- Lead resolution of complex mechanical engineering issues across perception hardware, marine systems, vehicle integration, and structures
- Provide technical direction during design reviews, program reviews, trade studies, root-cause investigations, and build/test activities
- Drive sound engineering decisions across mechanical architecture, subsystem packaging, structural design, marine auxiliary systems, and sensor integration
- Review and improve designs, analyses, drawings, test plans, and validation strategies to ensure technical rigor and execution quality
- Partner with mechanical, electrical, perception, manufacturing, and program teams to deliver hardware that is manufacturable, serviceable, reliable, and production ready
- Mentor engineers and raise the standard for mechanical design practices, analysis methods, documentation, and cross-functional execution
- Experience with hand calculations, FEA, design reviews, engineering drawings, and root-cause analysis
- Proficiency with 3D CAD tools such as Siemens NX, SolidWorks, Creo, or similar
- Strong fundamentals in mechanical design, structural analysis, materials, tolerance analysis, manufacturability, and system integration
- Bachelor’s degree or greater in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Marine Engineering, Structural Engineering, or a related field
- Ability to communicate clearly, make decisions with incomplete information, and lead technical execution across multiple teams
- Experience supporting hardware through concept, design, analysis, prototype build, test, and production
- 10+ years of mechanical engineering experience in complex hardware development
- Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance
- Experience with autonomous systems, maritime systems, robotics, aerospace, defense, or other harsh-environment hardware platforms
- Experience in one or more of the following areas: perception hardware, optomechanical systems, marine auxiliary systems, mechanical integration, electronics packaging, or structures
- Familiarity with shock, vibration, corrosion, environmental sealing, thermal management, fatigue, and serviceability considerations
- Experience with ASME Y14.5, GD&T, Femap, ANSYS, CFD, thermal tools, or production release processes
- Prior experience on DoD programs or unmanned maritime systems
- Professional Engineer license or similar professional certification