Demo

Senior Mechanical Engineer

Clera
Detroit, MI Full Time
POSTED ON 10/23/2026
AVAILABLE BEFORE 11/21/2026
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.

Salary : $165,000 - $210,000

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