Lead Mechanical Engineer - Design for Manufacturing

Lead Mechanical Engineer - Aerospace Structures and Manufacturing Systems

Fort Worth, Texas | On-site

Opportunity Summary

A fast-growing aerospace and defense company developing advanced unmanned aircraft systems is seeking a Lead Mechanical Engineer to support the design, development, and manufacturing transition of next-generation aerospace hardware. This role will focus heavily on mechanical design execution, design for manufacturing, assembly optimization, and manufacturable aerospace structures across both prototype and production environments. The engineer will work across product development and manufacturing teams to ensure hardware is designed with scalability, repeatability, and efficient fabrication in mind from the beginning. While production support remains an important part of the role, the primary focus is driving strong engineering ownership around manufacturable mechanical systems, tooling integration, assembly methodologies, and practical hardware execution. This is a highly hands-on role suited for someone comfortable owning hardware from early concept development through release into manufacturing and long-term production scale-up.

About Us

We are an early-stage aerospace and defense company building advanced aircraft systems designed for rapid deployment and scalable manufacturing. Our engineering team works closely across design, manufacturing, quality, and operations to develop flight-ready hardware capable of transitioning efficiently from prototype builds into repeatable production environments.

Job Duties

• Lead mechanical design efforts across aircraft structures, assemblies, integrated subsystems, and production-support hardware
• Drive design for manufacturing initiatives focused on simplifying fabrication, improving assembly efficiency, and reducing production complexity
• Develop mechanical components, tooling concepts, fixtures, and manufacturing-support designs for aerospace hardware programs
• Collaborate closely with manufacturing, quality, and supply chain teams to ensure designs translate efficiently into production environments
• Support prototype development, first article builds, and manufacturing release activities
• Create and maintain engineering documentation including drawings, tolerances, BOMs, assembly procedures, and manufacturing instructions
• Evaluate and improve manufacturability of machined, composite, sheet metal, and precision aerospace components
• Resolve tolerance stack-up, fitment, assembly, and integration issues throughout development and build activities
• Support production readiness efforts, process validation, and manufacturing transition planning
• Contribute to continuous improvement efforts related to assembly flow, tooling effectiveness, cost reduction, and production efficiency
• Partner with cross-functional engineering teams to balance design intent, performance, manufacturability, and long-term scalability
• Provide hands-on engineering support directly on the manufacturing floor during build, integration, and troubleshooting activities

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in mechanical engineering, aerospace structures, manufacturing engineering, or related hardware-focused environments
• Strong background designing aerospace structures, integrated mechanical systems, or complex electromechanical hardware
• Demonstrated experience applying design for manufacturing principles within aerospace or advanced hardware programs
• Hands-on experience supporting machining, tooling, composites, precision assemblies, or manufacturing process development
• Experience transitioning hardware from prototype development into scalable manufacturing environments
• Strong understanding of GD&T, tolerance analysis, assembly methods, and mechanical integration practices
• Proficiency with 3D CAD design and engineering release workflows
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related technical discipline
• Comfortable working directly with hardware, technicians, suppliers, and manufacturing teams in fast-paced development environments
• Strong communication, technical leadership, and cross-functional collaboration skills

Preferred Experience

• Experience supporting unmanned aircraft systems, aerospace vehicles, or defense hardware programs
• Background working within prototype-heavy or rapid iteration engineering environments
• Familiarity with aerospace configuration management and controlled engineering documentation
• Experience supporting composite structures, aerospace tooling, or integrated assembly systems
• Exposure to low-rate production, manufacturing scale-up, or production system development
• Experience balancing engineering performance requirements with practical manufacturing constraints

Why Join Us

• Opportunity to lead mechanical design efforts on advanced aerospace platforms entering scaled manufacturing
• High ownership role with direct involvement across engineering, manufacturing, and hardware execution
• Exposure to rapid aerospace development cycles and next-generation aircraft systems
• Collaborative, highly technical environment focused on practical hardware development and iteration
• Early-stage opportunity with strong long-term growth potential and technical influence

Compensation Details

$150,000 - $190,000

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