Senior Mechanical Engineer – Defense Autonomous Systems (Maritime)
Location: Florida (Full on-site or hybrid – 2-3 days/week in office)
Salary: Up to $160k + $30k Equity + 15% bonus
Clearance: Active Secret Required (TS/SCI Preferred)
Travel: 30-50% depending on field exercises and demonstrations
About the Company
I am working with a defense start-up building autonomous maritime and airborne systems for real-world military operations.
They work directly with U.S. Navy program offices and national labs – not just prototyping, but fielding systems that get deployed. The team operates at the intersection of mechanical engineering, autonomy, and naval systems integration.
Small, technically rigorous team. High ownership. Real hardware in the field.
The Role
You’ll own mechanical engineering across the full lifecycle – from rapid concept through to production design, test execution, and field deployment:
* Structural design and FEA – stress, fatigue, fracture mechanics, safety factors for sustained military use
* Rapid prototyping – design-build-test cycles on CNC, waterjet, and 5-axis laser systems
* Composite fabrication – wet lay-up, RTM, and VaRTM; fiber architecture, resin systems, cure cycles
* Fluids, thermal & propulsion analysis – hydrodynamic loading, drag, thermal margins across maritime and airborne environments
* Test & field support – SIL/HIL campaigns, instrumentation setup, DoD documentation, deployed exercises
* Systems engineering – MBSE, requirements decomposition, FMEA, ICDs, CDRLs, cross-functional integration
Requirements
* USV, UUV, AUV or UAS experience
* BS Mechanical Engineering + 10 years, MS + 7-10 years, or PhD + 5 years of relevant experience
* Strong fundamentals across mechanics of materials, fluid dynamics, and thermodynamics/heat transfer
* Hands-on CNC, waterjet, additive manufacturing, and composite fabrication experience
* Proficiency in 3D CAD (SolidWorks, CATIA or equivalent) with GD&T
* FEA experience (ANSYS, NASTRAN or equivalent)
* Active U.S. Secret clearance (or ability to obtain)
* Direct experience supporting military testing or field exercises
Why Join?
* Ship hardware that actually gets used – field exercises, live demonstrations, real operational conditions
* Move from whiteboard to shop floor to shipboard test in the same role
* Direct collaboration with U.S. Navy program offices and national laboratories
* Shape the mechanical architecture of next-generation autonomous platforms from an early stage
Interested?
Drop me an email at kyle.gauntlett@darwinrecruiment.com if you’d like to learn more.
Darwin Recruitment is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.
Kyle Gauntlett
...Recruiting Partner - Transform Careers and Lives with gpac Make an Impact. Build a Career. Earn Without Limits. gpac (Growing People and Companies) has grown from a small, family-owned business into one of the nation's top recruiting firms over the last 30+ years...
...Schedule: MondayFriday | 7:00 AM 3:30 PM Pay: $18.00/hour Order Picker Join a Reliable Team! Looking for a steady schedule, active work, and a supportive team? Were hiring motivated Order Pickers to help keep our warehouse running smoothly. This is a great...
...as a Program Manager . Here, youll see the bigger picture on mission initiatives and where your program management career can go at GDIT. MEANINGFUL WORK AND PERSONAL IMPACT As a Program Manager, the work youll do at GDIT will be impactful to the mission of ***...
...In this role, you will be responsible for constructing customized pallets according to client specifications while ensuring safety, quality, and efficiency. The ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of woodworking techniques and thrive in a hands-on work environment...
...Medical Center has an opening for a physician assistant or nurse practitioner to join our dedicated team in Danville, Pennsylvania.This... ...counseling programs. Job Duties Position Highlights Telemedicine and in-person clinic Work within a multidisciplinary team...