Principal Mechanical Systems Engineer, IPT Lead

CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage—domain dominance. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats.

CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors, including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, and London. For more information, please visit www.chaosinc.com.

Role Overview:
We are seeking an experienced Principal Mechanical Systems Engineer who will lead design and development of aircraft mechanical systems — including landing gear, doors/hatches/access panels, wheels and brakes, actuation mechanisms, and related mechanical subsystems — for a Massed Modular Aircraft (MMA) program. This role owns the mechanical systems design approach from concept through qualification and production transition, with emphasis on modularity, producibility, and design-for-mass-manufacture principles that support high-rate, distributed production. The ideal candidate brings broad aircraft mechanical systems expertise across multiple subsystem domains, combined with a strong producibility mindset suited to attritable, low-cost, or mass-producible aircraft concepts.
Responsibilities:

• Lead design and integration of aircraft mechanical systems, including:
• Landing gear (main and nose gear, retraction/extension mechanisms, shock absorption/struts, steering)
• Wheels, tires, and brake systems (including brake control and anti-skid considerations)
• Doors, hatches, access panels, and associated latching/locking mechanisms
• Actuation systems (electromechanical, hydraulic, or pneumatic as applicable) supporting flight control surfaces, doors, and landing gear
• Other mechanical subsystems as required (e.g., tow fittings, jacking points, ground handling provisions)
• Define and enforce a modular mechanical systems architecture with common interfaces, standardized attachment schemes, and interchangeable subassemblies across platform variants.
• Own mechanical system trade studies (actuation method, materials, kinematics) balancing performance, weight, reliability, cost, and producibility at scale.
• Ensure mechanical systems integrate cleanly with airframe structure, avionics, and flight controls across modular interface boundaries.
• Apply design-for-manufacture and design-for-assembly (DFM/DFA) principles to mechanical systems to enable high-rate, low-touch-labor production.
• Partner with Manufacturing Engineering to define producible mechanism designs, standardized components, and assembly/installation sequences compatible with distributed or multi-site production.
• Drive design decisions that reduce part count, unique fastener/hardware types, and non-recurring tooling complexity without compromising mechanical reliability or safety.
• Support make/buy and sourcing strategy discussions with Supply Chain, including identification of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) or modified-COTS mechanical components where appropriate to reduce cost and lead time.
• Lead or oversee mechanical systems analysis, including kinematic/motion analysis, structural analysis of mechanism components, load analysis (landing gear ground loads, braking loads, door/latch loads), and reliability/durability analysis.
• Define and execute the mechanical systems test program (component, subsystem, and full-system functional, environmental, and endurance testing) required to substantiate the design.
• Support qualification activities in accordance with applicable military and/or civil-derivative standards relevant to landing gear, brakes, and mechanical systems (e.g., applicable MIL-STD/MIL-HDBK guidance, SAE Aerospace Recommended Practices).
• Serve as the senior technical authority for mechanical systems on the program, representing the discipline at Preliminary Design Review (PDR), Critical Design Review (CDR), and government technical interchange meetings.
• Partner with Systems Engineering, Structures, Avionics, Program Management, Manufacturing, Quality, and Supply Chain to align mechanical systems maturity with program schedule and cost targets.
• Identify and manage mechanical systems risks, including component supply risk, wear/durability uncertainty, and producibility risk at scale.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related discipline; advanced degree preferred.
• 15+ years of aircraft mechanical systems design experience, including demonstrated ownership of one or more of the following: landing gear, brakes, doors/mechanisms, or actuation systems, from concept through qualification/production.
• Strong background in mechanism design, kinematic analysis, and structural/load analysis of mechanical components, with experience using relevant analysis tools (e.g., CAD-integrated motion simulation, FEA tools).
• Demonstrated experience applying design-for-manufacture/design-for-assembly principles to reduce production cost and complexity at scale.
• Experience supporting mechanical systems qualification/substantiation for military and/or civil-derivative requirements.

Preferred Requirements

• Direct experience with modular aircraft, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), or multi-mission/multi-variant platform architectures.
• Ability to obtain/maintain Secret/Top Secret/SCI clearance

Why CHAOS?

• Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company
• Additional benefits: 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more
• Our Perks: Free daily lunch while you're working onsite, fully-stocked kitchen, unlimited PTO, casual dress code
• Compensation Components: Competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon!) annual bonuses
• Team Growth: 500+ employees and counting across 5 global offices

Salary Range: $198,000 - $300,000

The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations.

Recruiting Agencies: CHAOS Industries does not accept unsolicited resumes or outreach. Unsolicited submissions will not be reviewed or compensated.

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