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Lead Mechanical Engineer

Wardstone· Engineering
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El Segundo$180k - $240kFull-timePosted 6d ago

About the role

You will own every structural and mechanical system on the interceptor, lead a team of ~5 mechanical engineers, and guide hardware from concept through ground test to live flight for Wardstone’s modular interceptor platform.

Responsibilities

  • Lead, mentor, and grow the mechanical engineering team, including hiring, setting priorities, and reviewing designs.
  • Set the team’s engineering standards: CAD and drawing practices, GD&T, design reviews, analysis documentation, and configuration control.
  • Own the mechanical schedule and technical risks, and give clear tradeoffs to founders and other teams.
  • Size the airframe and structures for launch, flight, and maneuver loads.
  • Lead structural, vibration, shock, and aeroelastic analysis across every phase of flight.
  • Own the outer mold line (OML) together with the aerodynamics team, balancing aerodynamic performance, kinematics, and internal volume.
  • Design primary and secondary structures, hardpoints, brackets, and mechanisms, including fin actuation, separation, and canister/launcher interfaces.
  • Own the master vehicle CAD assembly and mass properties.
  • Work with propulsion and aerodynamics to handle thermal loads, structural margins, and drag.
  • Work with electrical and controls to package, route, and mount avionics, harnesses, and actuators.
  • Choose materials for high-performance applications (e.g., composites, high-strength alloys, high-temperature materials).
  • Manage vendors and machine shops, and enforce quality and tolerance requirements.
  • Design and run structural, vibration, and environmental tests, and build fixtures and rigs to support them.
  • Get hands-on in the in-house shop when speed matters.

Qualifications

  • B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
  • 7+ years of experience designing flight or high-load hardware.
  • Experience leading engineers or owning a major subsystem from design through test.
  • Expert in CAD, including large, complex vehicle assemblies.
  • Expert in structural analysis, including FEA for static, dynamic, and vibration loads.
  • Strong material selection experience for high-stress aerospace applications.
  • Comfortable working hands-on with hardware in a shop and test environment.
  • Must be a U.S. person as defined by ITAR (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual).

Skills

Required:Mechanical designStructural analysis / FEAMaterial selection (aerospace)CAD (master vehicle assembly)Hands-on hardware in shop/testProject leadership / subsystem ownership
Last updated Oct 21, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.
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About Wardstone

Satellites for Missile Defense

Wardstone is a space defense-tech company developing next-generation capabilities to protect the United States and its allies from missiles and other space-based threats. We design, build, and deploy satellites equipped with space-based interceptors to kinetically counter hypersonic and ballistic missiles.

space-explorationsatellitesrocketryaerospace
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