{"id":2143311,"url":"https://alion.io/job/chaos-industries-senior-mechanical-engineer-rf-sensor-productization","title":"Senior Mechanical Engineer, RF Sensor Productization","company":{"id":449716,"name":"CHAOS Industries","domain":"chaosinc.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/chaos-industries","size_band":"201-500","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":89,"open_postings":11,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.455,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":59,"computed_at":"2026-11-02T06:13:15Z"}},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":"senior","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Washington, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":150000,"max":200000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":200000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":5,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":true,"technologies":[{"name":"Abaqus","optional":false},{"name":"ANSYS","optional":false},{"name":"MIL-STD-461","optional":false},{"name":"MIL-STD-810","optional":false},{"name":"Nastran","optional":false},{"name":"SolidWorks","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-07T21:02:54Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-07","last_verified_at":"2026-11-02T18:21:24Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":26,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":26},"description":"CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage-domain dominance. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats. \nCHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors, including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, and London. For more information, please visit www.chaosinc.com.\nRole Overview:\nCHAOS is seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer to own the mechanical design and productization of the passive RF geolocation sensors in our electromagnetic warfare product line. Our Spectrum Sensing Team has developed and fielded a working prototype of a distributed TDOA geolocation sensor. Now we need an engineer who can turn it into a rugged, repeatable product that can be manufactured and deployed in fixed-site, mast-mounted, and ground-vehicle configurations.\nIn this role, you will be the mechanical technical lead for the sensor node. You will define the enclosure and mounting architecture, solve the thermal, environmental, and RF-integration challenges of a precision-timing sensor operating outdoors, and deliver a design that can be built at rate. You will work daily with the RF, electrical, and software engineers who built the prototype, and you will partner closely with Manufacturing Engineering to make sure the design is ready for production from day one.\nThe ideal candidate has taken ruggedized electronics hardware from prototype through qualification and into production, is fluent in DFM/DFA, and enjoys being hands-on in a small, fast-moving, cross-disciplinary team.\nThis is a full-time, on-site position in Washington, D.C.\nResponsibilities:\nAs the mechanical lead for the Spectrum Sensing Team's productization effort, the Senior Mechanical Engineer will:\nOwn the mechanical architecture and detailed design of the sensor node, including enclosures, chassis, internal structures, brackets, cable management, and external interfaces\nDesign fixed-site (mast, tower, and rooftop) and ground-vehicle mounting solutions, including quick-deploy, leveling, and alignment features as needed\nLead thermal design and analysis for sealed outdoor electronics, including heat sinking, thermal interface materials, solar loading, and passive and active cooling tradeoffs\nDesign for environmental robustness, including ingress protection (IP67 or equivalent), sealing, corrosion resistance, shock, vibration, humidity, and temperature extremes, in line with MIL-STD-810 and customer requirements\nPartner with RF and electrical engineers on antenna and RF integration, GPS/GNSS and timing-reference mounting, EMI/EMC shielding and grounding, and connector selection to support MIL-STD-461 and system performance\nPerform first-order structural, thermal, and tolerance analyses (hand calculations and FEA) to drive design decisions and requirements allocation\nApply DFM/DFA principles and work with Manufacturing Engineering and suppliers to drive down cost, part count, and assembly time\nCreate and release production-quality CAD models, drawings with GD&T, mechanical BOMs, and interface control documents (ICDs)\nPrototype rapidly using additive manufacturing, CNC machining, and sheet metal, then iterate based on fit-checks, lab testing, and field feedback\nPlan and support environmental qualification testing (thermal, vibration, shock, ingress), including test fixture design, test execution, and failure investigation\nSupport make/buy assessments and the selection of machine shops, enclosure vendors, and contract manufacturers\nSupport field demonstrations and customer integration events with installation, fit-checks, and troubleshooting\nThis role will require periodic travel, up to [25%], including to field test sites and CHAOS facilities in Southern California\nMinimum Requirements:\nBachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline\n5+ years of experience in mechanical design of electronics enclosures or electromechanical systems for aerospace, defense, telecommunications, or other harsh-environment applications\nDemonstrated experience taking hardware from prototype through production release\nStrong proficiency with CAD tools (e.g., SolidWorks or equivalent) for parts, assemblies, and production drawings\nStrong working knowledge of GD&T, tolerance stack-up analysis, and engineering drawing standards (ASME Y14.5)\nExperience with thermal management of electronics and sealed or outdoor enclosures\nFamiliarity with structural and thermal analysis methods (hand calculations, FEA)\nWorking knowledge of common manufacturing processes, such as CNC machining, sheet metal, die casting, injection molding, and finishing and coatings\nExperience designing to environmental requirements, such as MIL-STD-810, IP ratings, or equivalent standards\nStrong communication skills and the ability to work closely with RF, electrical, and software engineers\nMust be able to work on-site 4-5 days per week in Washington, D.C.\nU.S. citizen\nAbility to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance\nPreferred Requirements:\nMaster's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field\nCurrent U.S. security clearance\nExperience with RF hardware, antennas, radomes, or SDR-based systems, including EMI shielding and gasketing design\nExperience designing hardware for mast, tower, or vehicle installations, including wind loading, vehicle shock and vibration, and transport loads\nExperience with environmental qualification test planning and execution (thermal cycling, random vibration, shock, salt fog, ingress)\nExperience with commercial FEA or multiphysics simulation packages (ANSYS, ABAQUS, NASTRAN, COMSOL, FloTHERM, Icepak, etc.)\nFamiliarity with military-style connectors and cabling (e.g., MIL-DTL-38999, TNC/N-type RF connectors)\nExperience working with contract manufacturers and offshore or domestic machine shops\nExperience with PLM/PDM systems and formal configuration control\nExperience in an early-stage or startup hardware environment\nWhy CHAOS?\nHealth Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company\n Additional benefits: 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more\nOur Perks: Free daily lunch while you're working onsite, fully-stocked kitchen, unlimited PTO, casual dress code\n Compensation Components: Competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon!) annual bonuses\nTeam Growth: 500+ employees and counting across 5 global offices\n Salary Range: $150,000 - $200,000\nThe stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. \nRecruiting Agencies: CHAOS Industries does not accept unsolicited resumes or outreach. Unsolicited submissions will not be reviewed or compensated.\n#LI-onsite","description_format":"text","description_chars":7504,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":5,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["401k plan","Annual bonuses","Equity","Life insurance","Relocation assistance","Unlimited PTO"],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":true,"industries":["C4ISR","Defense Manufacturing"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-09T03:55:46Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":81,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.903,"p_room":0.9,"age_days":25,"expected_fill_days":59,"reasons":["conf:0","velocity","win:mid","comp:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-11-02T06:13:15Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":200000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/chaos-industries-senior-mechanical-engineer-rf-sensor-productization","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/chaos-industries-senior-mechanical-engineer-rf-sensor-productization.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-02T22:14:33Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":31413,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-03T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":449716},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=449716"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fchaos-industries-senior-mechanical-engineer-rf-sensor-productization"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fchaos-industries-senior-mechanical-engineer-rf-sensor-productization"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fchaos-industries-senior-mechanical-engineer-rf-sensor-productization"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/chaos-industries-senior-mechanical-engineer-rf-sensor-productization\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fchaos-industries-senior-mechanical-engineer-rf-sensor-productization"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":2143311}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"chaosinc.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":2143311},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. 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