Mechanical Engineer

About the role

Who We Are: Aurelius Systems is a VC backed defense tech startup building autonomous, edge deployed directed energy systems for counter-UAS. We build laser weapons to shoot down drones. We're a small team of engineers, former US military, and subject matter experts scaling America's directed energy dominance. The first cost effective, reliable and robust laser weapon system. Our namesake isn't an accident. Marcus Aurelius wrote about doing the work in front of you, every day, without excuses. Henry Ford didn't wait for permission to reinvent manufacturing. That's how we operate small team, unreasonable output, no hiding behind the unachievable. In addition to our San Francisco lab, we opened our Detroit manufacturing hub and field test weekly on our own 400-acre private range. The Role and Your Impact: We need a Mechanical Engineer focused on design ruggedization across Archimedes, as well as survivability against shock, vibration, moisture, and environmental extremes for a fiber laser system in a deployable, field-rugged package. MIL-spec is one of the harder problems in directed energy and is a make-or-break domain for the platform. You'll work hands-on from architecture through bench validation and field correlation. What You'll Own: - Structural and mechanical design for survivability across MIL-STD shock, vibration, humidity, dust, and austere environments - Ruggedization architecture across the laser source, laser head, and supporting subsystems - Sealing, ingress protection, and moisture/corrosion mitigation strategies (IP ratings, conformal coatings, gasket design) - Vibration isolation system design including isolator selection, snubbing, and modal analysis - Shock analysis and design including fragility assessment, cushion design, and drop/transportation survivability - FEA modeling including static, modal, random vibration, and shock response spectrum analysis - Structural validation including instrumentation, test rigs, and correlation to model - Trades between ruggedization performance, mass, stiffness, and packaging across the system What We're Looking For: - 2 to 5+ years in mechanical engineering on ruggedized or field-deployable systems - Evidence you learn fast. You got effective in a new domain or toolset in months, not years. - Strong FEA experience with ANSYS, Nastran, Abaqus, or equivalent - Hands on experience designing to MIL-STD-810 or equivalent shock and vibration standards - Track record building and instrumenting structural test rigs and correlating model to bench - Experience with sealing, EMI/EMC gaskets, conformal coating, and environmental protection design - Experience designing enclosures and structures for field-deployable or military conditions Where you probably come from: Defense hardware companies, airborne or ground vehicle systems, ruggedized electronics enclosures, directed energy programs, or field-deployed sensor or radar systems. We want to talk if: You've designed a system that had to survive shock, vibration, and environmental extremes in a constrained, deployable package. You can model it, build it, instrument it, and correlate it. Not a fit if: You've only done commercial or consumer product design, your work is simulation-only with no bench validation, or you've never designed to a MIL or DO-160 standard. Nice to Haves: - Direct laser system or directed energy hardware experience - MIL-STD-461 EMI/EMC design awareness for mechanical hardware integration - Experience with optical bench or precision instrument ruggedization - Field-deployable or vehicle-mounted system experience Education: BS or MS in Mechanical, Aerospace, or related engineering field. PhD welcome but not required. How You Operate: - Extreme bias for action. You'd rather build a prototype tomorrow than model it for a month - You characterize your own systems before the field does - Comfortable with ambiguity and fast iteration in a startup environment - You debug from first principles, not intuition alone - Clear communicator across mechanical, electrical, optical, and software teams - Self directed. You identify what needs to happen next and do it without being told Why Join Aurelius Systems: - Build more in 1 month than most engineers build in 1 year. We field test weekly. Your work goes downrange, not into a filing cabinet. - Career velocity is real. With no middle management, there are no layers between you and impact. - Work on a problem that actually matters. Small cheap drones are changing warfare. Our laser systems are the asymmetric answer — infinite magazine, near zero cost per shot, scalable to every base, border, facility, and truck. - Join the densest defense startup ecosystem in the country. California is where the next generation of defense companies are being built. How We Work: Core hours are Monday through Friday, 9 to 6. When we're sprinting toward a demo or field test, the team ramps up — nights, weekends, whatever it takes to ship. When the sprint lands, we ramp down. We don't manufacture intensity for show. Benefits: - Competitive salary and equity - United Health Care medical, dental, and vision coverage - Flexible 18 days PTO plus 5 sick days - Travel to field test events and range days - Covered daily lunches and office snacks and drinks - E-bike and scooter stipend up to $500 - Direct access to leadership and real ownership over your work Export Control Notice: This role requires access to export-controlled information or items that require U.S. Person status. As defined by U.S. law, individuals who are any one of the following are considered to be a U.S. Person: (1) U.S. citizens, (2) legal permanent residents (a.k.a. green card holders), and (3) certain protected classes of asylees and refugees, as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).