Full-Time

Lead Mechanical Engineer

Updated on 9/3/2026

AMCA

AMCA

51-200 employees

Aerospace/defense product development and prototyping

Compensation Overview

$150k - $200k/yr

No H1B Sponsorship

El Segundo, CA, USA

In Person

Category
Mechanical Engineering (1)
Required Skills
CAD
FEM/FEA

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Requirements
  • Substantial experience in mechanical engineering for aerospace or defense hardware, with a strong track record taking products from concept through flight qualification and into production.
  • Deep technical expertise in at least one mechanical discipline, such as fluid systems, mechanisms, structural design, cockpit avionics packaging, or power electronics enclosures, with working fluency across adjacent areas.
  • Hands-on and comfortable working in laboratories, the protoshop, and on the bench rather than only at a computer-aided design station.
  • Strong command of engineering first principles across thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, and solid mechanics, with the ability to simplify requirements and reduce complexity.
  • Experience with Siemens NX or an equivalent computer-aided design package.
  • Familiarity with finite element analysis tools and test instrumentation.
  • Familiarity with MIL-STD-810, DO-160, and other aerospace qualification frameworks.
  • Ability to work independently, directly, and action-oriented with minimal oversight.
  • U.S. person status within the meaning of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, including U.S. citizenship, U.S. permanent residence, or protected-person status.
Responsibilities
  • Serve as the technical lead for a defined mechanical discipline, owning design decisions and outcomes end-to-end.
  • Build a team of mechanical engineers and take ownership of team progression.
  • Execute and oversee detailed design work, including drawings, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, finite element analysis, component specifications, and risk assessments.
  • Drive hardware from bench prototype through qualification and production handoff using the in-house research and development lab and protoshop.
  • Lead or support qualification campaigns, including functional, environmental, pneumatic, hydraulic, and structural testing according to military standards and applicable aerospace standards.
  • Lead root-cause investigations in development, production, and testing, and own corrective actions through resolution.
  • Ensure designs are optimized from the outset for reliability, manufacturability, and cost.
  • Provide technical mentorship and informal guidance to less experienced engineers on the team.
  • Collaborate with mechanical, electrical, software, and build engineering teams to deliver integrated hardware systems.
  • Participate in design reviews and contribute to improving technical standards across the mechanical engineering function.
  • Support customer-facing engagements and program reviews as a subject-matter expert in the discipline.
Desired Qualifications
  • Nascent leadership instincts, including comfort informally guiding peers and readiness to grow into broader responsibility over time.

AMCA operates in the aerospace and defense sector by acquiring and developing key products to meet industry needs. It builds unified engineering and manufacturing processes to speed up capabilities and increase production volumes, while prioritizing quality and safety with a strong customer focus. The company’s model centers on scaling acquired products and creating new ones to respond to evolving market demands, enabling rapid prototyping and fast delivery to clients in the aerospace supply chain. Its goal is to expand and improve product offerings to meet the changing needs of the aerospace and defense markets, delivering reliable solutions with attention to safety and performance.

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

Series B

Total Funding

$376.5M

Headquarters

El Segundo, California

Founded

2024

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Amca raised $300 million in May 2026 at a $1 billion valuation.
  • The company keeps acquiring suppliers, including BC Systems, Electrocube, Cal-Draulics, and Payne Magnetics.
  • Its F-35 deployment and 67% faster deliveries prove demand for faster qualification now.

What critics are saying

  • Executing six factory integrations after the May 2026 Series B strains quality and uptime.
  • Customer concentration on primes and classified programs makes one program loss immediately painful.
  • If RAPID fails AS9100, qualification, or defense delivery promises, the thesis collapses.

What makes AMCA unique

  • RAPID compresses component timelines 67% and spans design, qualification, and manufacturing.
  • Amca now runs six factories and 123,000 square feet across California, Iowa, and New York.
  • It sells into Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Airbus, Honeywell, and Raytheon.

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Benefits

Flexible Work Hours

Health Insurance

401(k) Retirement Plan

Remote Work Options

Paid Vacation

Paid Sick Leave

Paid Holidays

Hybrid Work Options

Wellness Program

Mental Health Support

Phone/Internet Stipend

Home Office Stipend

Professional Development Budget

Conference Attendance Budget

Stock Options

Company Equity

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-12%

1 year growth

-3%

2 year growth

-19%
Silicon Legal Strategy
Jun 2nd, 2026
SLS client Caffeinated Capital leads Amca's $300MM Series B.

SLS client Caffeinated Capital leads Amca's $300MM Series B. June 2, 2026 Silicon Legal represented Caffeinated Capital as they led Amca's $300 million Series B. Amca is building America's new industrial base, increasing competition and capacity for critical aerospace and defense components. In addition to Caffeinated Capital, the round included investments from Lightspeed Venture Partners, Andreessen Horowitz, Lux Capital, Construct Capital, and House Capital.

Defense Daily
May 20th, 2026
Amca raises $300 million to bolster aerospace and defense supply chain.

Amca raises $300 million to bolster aerospace and defense supply chain. Wednesday, May 20th, 2026 Amca, a startup founded 18 months ago to accelerate product development, qualification and delivery, and strengthen the aerospace and defense supply chain, has raised $300 million in a new funding round to expand use of its technology platform, acquire and build new factories, and deliver the products it is manufacturing faster, the company said on Wednesday. The Series B round was led by Caffeinated Capital, which also led Amca's $76 million Series A round a year ago. Since its founding,... Not a subscriber or registered user yet? Please contact us at [email protected] or call us at 888-707-5814 (Monday - Thursday 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. and Friday 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET.), to start a free trial, get pricing information, order a reprint, or post an article link on your website.

PR Newswire
May 20th, 2026
Amca raises $300M Series B at $1B+ valuation to strengthen US defence supply chain

Amca, an aerospace and defence manufacturer, has raised $300 million in a Series B round led by Caffeinated Capital, achieving a valuation exceeding $1 billion just 18 months after its founding. Lightspeed Venture Partners joined the round, alongside existing investors including Andreessen Horowitz and Lux Capital. The El Segundo-based company operates six factories across California, Iowa and New York, totalling over 123,000 square feet of production capacity for critical components including hydraulics, avionics and power electronics. Amca supplies Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Airbus and other major customers. The company has developed RAPID, an AI-powered platform that integrates design, testing and manufacturing, reducing production timelines by 67% compared to industry standards. The funding will expand RAPID deployment and support additional factory acquisitions nationwide.

PR Newswire
Feb 19th, 2026
Amca acquires Payne Magnetics, strengthening its power electronics capabilities

/PRNewswire/ -- Amca, a Los Angeles-based aerospace and defense company, has acquired Payne Magnetics of Covina, California from its second-generation owner,...

PR Newswire
Feb 12th, 2026
Amca acquires Electrocube, a premier Boeing supplier, to expand into power electronics

/PRNewswire/ -- Amca, an El Segundo-based aerospace and defense company, has acquired Electrocube of Pomona, California from two of its founding families. The...