AMCA

Aerospace/defense product development and prototyping

Mechanical Engineering Manager

Engineering LeadershipUpdated on Nov 11

Full-timeEl Segundo, CA, USA$160k - $220k /yrIn-person

About the Job

Requirements

Substantial experience in mechanical engineering for aerospace or defense hardware, with a strong track record of taking products from concept through flight qualification and into production.
Demonstrated success leading engineering teams and developing and retaining strong technical talent.
Deep fluency across pneumatic and hydraulic fluid systems, structural design, mechanisms, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T), and manufacturing processes.
Experience with the mechanical design of avionics or power electronics hardware, including thermal management, electromagnetic interference/electromagnetic compatibility (EMI/EMC) packaging considerations, and ruggedized enclosure design.
Ability and willingness to work hands-on in the protoshop and on the bench.
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 (CAD) package; familiarity with finite element analysis (FEA) tools and test instrumentation such as pressure transducers, thermocouples, resistance temperature detectors (RTDs), and solenoid valves.
Familiarity with MIL-STD-810, DO-160, and other aerospace qualification frameworks.

Responsibilities

Manage the mechanical engineering team across design, build, and test.
Hire, develop, and retain mechanical design, build, and test engineers.
Set technical standards for design reviews, qualification testing, build methodology, and design for manufacturability (DFM) across the discipline.
Mentor engineers at all levels and foster ownership and first-principles problem solving.
Define and evolve mechanical engineering design, build, and testing standards as the company scales.
Contribute to the mechanical product roadmap in partnership with program management and senior leadership.
Work with customers and program management to understand end-use applications and challenge requirements where possible.
Support expansion of the product catalog across valves, regulators, solenoids, actuators, pistons, switches, cockpit avionics hardware, power electronics mechanical packaging, and adjacent mechanical categories.
Ensure new designs are optimized for reliability, manufacturability, and cost from the outset.
Provide hands-on technical leadership.
Oversee detailed design work, including drawings, GD&T, FEA, component specifications, and risk assessments.
Lead or support qualification campaigns, including functional, environmental, pneumatic, hydraulic, and structural testing under MIL-STD and applicable aerospace standards.
Drive hardware iteration from bench prototype through production handoff using the in-house research and development lab and protoshop.
Lead root cause investigations in development, production, and test, and own corrective actions through resolution.
Ensure DFM feedback flows between build engineering and design, and codify manufacturing best practices into specifications and drawings.
Partner with electrical engineering on mechanical design of cockpit avionics and power electronics components, including thermal management, packaging, connectorization, and environmental sealing.
Support company growth initiatives.
Represent mechanical engineering in customer-facing engagements and program reviews.

There was a time when all of America believed that the future of the physical world could be radically different. The engineers of the mid-1900s put a man on the moon in eight years, designed and built planes and submarines from scratch in under three, and conceived of building things we wouldn’t even be able to dream up today.

Today, the last of the engineers who imagined and built these systems are retiring. As they go, we lose not only the engineering knowledge gained from their decades of imagination and trial-and-error, but also the spirit that made that imagination possible.

Amca is working day-in and day-out to restore America’s ability to engineer anything that our critical systems depend on, and reinvigorate the cycle of creation that allows imagination to shape physical reality. We rapidly develop and manufacture new critical components and subsystems required to build and sustain the planes, military vehicles, and core infrastructure America needs. By restoring the capability of our antiquated supply chains, we increase the country’s capacity to imagine and realize new systems, and make a physical world that looks very different from today.

Overview:

You will lead Amca's mechanical engineering function across design, build, and test. Your team takes flight hardware from concept through qualification and into production — spanning flow control devices, mechanisms, pneumatic and hydraulic assemblies, structural systems, cockpit avionics, and power electronics enclosures and mechanical subsystems. You will set the technical standard for how Amca designs, builds, and proves its mechanical products, while growing and developing the engineers responsible for executing that work day to day. This is a player-coach role: you will be in the details of hard problems while building the team and processes to scale.

Responsibilities:

Manage the mechanical engineering team across design, build, and test
Hire, develop, and retain mechanical design, build, and test engineers
Set the technical bar for design reviews, qualification testing, build methodology, and DFM standards across the discipline
Mentor engineers at all levels; instill a culture of extreme ownership and first-principles problem solving
Define and evolve mechanical engineering design, build, and testing standards as Amca scales
Contribute to the mechanical product roadmap in partnership with program management and senior leadership
Work closely with customers and program management to understand end-use applications and challenge requirements wherever possible
Support expansion of Amca's catalog across valves, regulators, solenoids, actuators, pistons, switches, cockpit avionics hardware, power electronics mechanical packaging, and adjacent mechanical categories
Ensure every new design is optimized from day one for reliability, manufacturability, and cost — not retrofitted later
Maintain hands-on technical leadership
Oversee detailed design work including drawings, GD&T, FEA, component specifications, and risk assessments
Lead or support qualification campaigns including functional, environmental, pneumatic, hydraulic, and structural testing per MIL-STD and applicable aerospace standards
Drive hardware iteration from bench prototype through production handoff, leveraging Amca's in-house R&D lab and protoshop
Lead root cause investigations in development, production, and test; own corrective actions through resolution
Ensure DFM feedback flows efficiently between build engineering and design, and that manufacturing best practices are codified into specifications and drawings
Partner closely with electrical engineering on the mechanical design of cockpit avionics and power electronics components, including thermal management, packaging, connectorization, and environmental sealing
Support company growth initiatives
Represent mechanical engineering in customer-facing engagements and program reviews

Qualifications:

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
Demonstrated success leading engineering teams; able to develop and retain strong technical talent
Deep fluency across fluid systems (pneumatic, hydraulic), structural design, mechanisms, GD&T, and manufacturing processes
Experience with the mechanical design of avionics or power electronics hardware, including thermal management, EMI/EMC packaging considerations, and ruggedized enclosure design
Hands-on and lab-comfortable; expected to be in the protoshop and on the bench, not just in design reviews
Strong command of engineering first principles across thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, and solid mechanics; proven ability to simplify requirements and cut complexity
Experience with Siemens NX or equivalent CAD package; familiarity with FEA tools and test instrumentation (pressure transducers, thermocouples, RTDs, solenoid valves, etc.)
Familiarity with MIL-STD-810, DO-160, and other aerospace qualification frameworks
Independent, direct, and action-oriented; thrives with ownership and minimal oversight

Annual Salary Range

$160,000—$220,000 USD

This position requires use of information which is subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). All applicants must be U.S. persons within the meaning of ITAR. ITAR defines a US person as: any individual who is granted U.S. citizenship; or. any individual who is granted U.S. permanent residence ("Green Card" holder); or. any individual who is granted status as a "protected person" under 8 U.S.C 1324b(a)(3).

Amca, Inc prohibits discrimination or harassment based on the following categories: race, color, religion, religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), national origin, ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition (including cancer and genetic characteristics), genetic information, marital status, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), gender, gender identity, gender expression, age (40 years and over), sexual orientation, veteran and/or military status, protected medical leaves (requesting or approved for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act or the California Family Rights Act), domestic violence victim status, political affiliation, and any other status protected by state or federal law.

Annual Salary Range 160000 - 220000 USD

About the Company

AMCA

Aerospace/defense product development and prototyping

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, CA
Founded: 2024

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