Principal Mechanical Engineer

Position OverviewWe are seeking a top-1%, hands on Mechanical Engineer with 10+ years of elite technical experience with a Masters or PhD from a leading engineering institution. This role is reserved for engineers who have demonstrated exceptional judgment, depth, and execution on mission-critical, structurally complex systems—particularly in autonomous surgical devices, robotics, defense systems or heavy machinery.You will serve as the mechanical authority for systems operating under extreme environmental, vibration, shock, and thermal conditions. The ideal candidate is recognized as a technical leader—someone trusted to make high-consequence design decisions, anticipate failure modes, and deliver mechanically flawless systems in regulated and high-reliability domains.What You’ll DoOwn and lead the mechanical architecture of complex electromechanical systems designed to meet or exceed MIL-STD-810 requirements.Establish design direction for structural robustness, durability, and reliability in harsh operating environments.Perform and critically evaluate advanced mechanical simulations (FEA, modal, vibration, shock, thermal) to predict and mitigate real-world failure modes.Drive electromechanical integration, ensuring precise mechanical-electrical alignment for sensors, actuators, wiring, and control systems.Lead structural qualification, environmental testing, and failure analysis for high-reliability and safety-critical products.Author and review mechanical design documentation, including detailed drawings, simulation reports, and verification/validation protocols.Guide prototype builds and collaborate with manufacturing to ensure designs are production-ready without performance compromise.Enforce Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and Design for Reliability (DFR) across the product lifecycle.Identify mechanical risk early, set mitigation strategies, and lead cross-functional design reviews at a senior technical level.Act as a technical benchmark and mentor, raising the mechanical engineering standard across the organization.What You’ll Need10+ years of professional experience delivering complex mechanical systems in high-reliability or safety-critical domains.Degree in Mechanical Engineering (BS/MS) from a top-tier engineering school.Proven experience in one or more of the following: Autonomous surgical devices, robotics, heavy machinery or defense systems.Deep expertise in electromechanical integration for tightly coupled mechanical and electrical systems.Advanced hands-on experience with structural, vibration, shock, and thermal simulations using ANSYS, SolidWorks Simulation, or equivalent.Expert-level proficiency in 3D CAD (SolidWorks preferred; CATIA or Creo acceptable).Strong working knowledge of MIL-STD-810 environmental and durability requirements.Demonstrated success taking designs from early R&D through qualification and production.Excellent cross-disciplinary collaboration skills across mechanical, electrical, software, and systems engineering teams.You’ll Stand Out If You HaveDirect ownership of MIL-STD-810 qualification programs.Experience with MIL-S-901D (naval shock) and MIL-STD-461 (EMI/EMC).Mechanical design experience for surgical robotics or precision medical systems.Expertise in shock isolation, vibration damping, and structural survivability.Advanced knowledge of EMC considerations in mechanically dense systems.Experience with rapid prototyping, additive manufacturing, and complex assemblies.Strong foundation in fluid dynamics, thermal management, and heat transfer.