CleraNew

Senior Mechanical Engineer

  • LocationDetroit
  • Listed22/10/2026
  • SalaryUS$165–210k/yr
  • FieldOther engineering

Average of 14 Mechanical Engineer senior jobs in the United States we read: US$13,375/mo · updated October 22. A market reference, not this job's salary.

About the job

ABOUT THE ROLE

Own major mechanical subsystems for ruggedized directed-energy systems, from architecture through production handoff. You will work on a lean engineering team to build and validate field-deployable hardware designed to perform in demanding environments.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

  • Design and validate laser enclosures, beam director and gimbal structures, and precision mounts.
  • Perform static, modal, random vibration, and shock response spectrum FEA, then correlate results with bench and field testing.
  • Develop thermal management solutions for high-power laser and electronics packaging across thermal cycles.
  • Build, instrument, and run test rigs to characterize systems before field deployment.
  • Design for MIL-STD-810 shock and vibration requirements and other austere operating conditions.
  • Take designs from concept through prototyping, validation, field testing, and manufacturing handoff.
  • Lead design reviews, collaborate across engineering disciplines, and mentor junior engineers.
  • Travel to field tests and range events to validate and improve system performance.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

  • At least 5 years of mechanical engineering experience with ruggedized, field-deployable, or high-performance systems, including taking a subsystem from prototype to production.
  • Strong hands-on FEA skills with ANSYS, Nastran, Abaqus, or equivalent, including test correlation.
  • Experience designing to MIL-STD-810 or equivalent shock and vibration standards, and with precision optomechanical packaging.
  • Thermal management experience for high-power systems, plus experience building and running validation rigs and instrumentation.
  • Experience with design for manufacturability and manufacturing handoff.
  • BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
  • Laser, directed-energy, ruggedized optical bench, or vehicle-mounted systems experience is a plus.
  • U.S. citizenship is required.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Base salary is $165,000 to $210,000 annually. Visa sponsorship is not available.

LOCATION

On-site in Detroit, Michigan, with travel required for field testing and range validation.

Job details

Company
Clera
Level
Senior
Work model
On-site
Contract
Full time
Posted
22 October 2026
Advert site
jobs.ashbyhq.com

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