{"id":123803,"url":"https://alion.io/job/interplay-lead-mechanical-engineer","title":"Lead Mechanical Engineer","company":{"id":705967,"name":"Interplay","domain":"interplay.vc","url":"https://alion.io/company/interplay-2","size_band":"11-50","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":true,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Ashby","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":75,"open_postings":5,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":1,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":null,"computed_at":"2026-10-17T05:46:00Z"}},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":"lead","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"explicit","locations":[],"countries":[],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":8,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Machine Learning","optional":false},{"name":"SolidWorks","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-08-25T19:18:50Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-08-25","last_verified_at":"2026-10-17T17:40:06Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":53,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":53},"description":"LEAD MECHANICAL ENGINEER\nMechanical Engineering Lead, Advanced Manufacturing & Repair Systems\nReports directly to: Chief Operating Officer \nPartners closely with: Head of Data & Software, CTO, Process Engineering \nLocation: Atlanta, GA | U.S. Person required (ITAR)\nABOUT LYKOS\nLykos is a U.S.-based advanced materials and manufacturing company building a qualification-led repair & sustainment network for defense and aerospace industries. Lykos is focused on enabling rapid repair and sustainment for critical systems through advanced materials manufacturing, distributed and modular capacity, and our secure data-layer.\nTHE OPPORTUNITY\nAs Lead Mechanical Engineer, you will work directly with our COO and own advanced engineering for Lykos. You will own the hardware that turns our process science into repeatable processes: the machines, cells, fixtures, tooling, and automation that make up our pilot line and our modular manufacturing units.\nThis is a builder's role, not a drafting role. You will design, procure, build, commission, and debug real hardware; additive and subtractive platforms, robotic material handling, thermal and laser processing equipment, and the instrumentation that makes all of it observable. You will work directly for Lykos’ COO and partner with our Head of Data & Software so that every machine we build is designed from the start to generate structured, trustworthy process data.\nYou will be the first dedicated mechanical engineering leader at Lykos, setting the standards, own the discipline, help choose vendors and platforms we live with for years, and grow the mechanical team behind you.\nWHAT YOU'LL DO\nOwn mechanical engineering for Lykos end to end: architecture, design, analysis, build, commissioning, and sustaining engineering across the pilot line and modular manufacturing units.\n\nDesign the system architecture and operational details of modular, transportable micro-factory units: envelope, utilities, containerization, serviceability, transport, and field installation.\n\nDesign and integrate additive manufacturing capability into ceramic and precursor workflows; including build platforms, material handling, thermal management, and post-process handling.\n\nOwn the machining, additive, finishing, coating, and inspection processes that comprise the micro-factory.: Identify and select the required equipment\n\nOversee system integration and qualification. Design and deploy automation and robotics: robotic cells, end effectors, motion systems, part transfer, machine tending, and vision-assisted handling. With the safety architecture and risk assessments to match.\n\nIntegrate laser-enabled processing hardware with ceramic material workflows, including optics mounting, motion control, enclosure design, thermal and fume management, and laser safety compliance.\n\nWork with the Head of Data & Software so process data is structured, labeled, and usable for automation and machine learning from day one.\n\nDesign and build tooling that is needed to support testing or nominal micro-factory operation. Run equipment selection and vendor execution: requirements, RFQs, build-to-print packages, technical reviews, FAT/SAT, acceptance criteria, and CAPEX justification alongside the COO.\n\nEstablish and enforce engineering discipline: drawing standards, revision and configuration control, ECO process, BOM and PLM structure, and documentation aligned with AS9100 and defense manufacturing expectations.\n\nIdentify and engineer out throughput constraints, yield killers, and cost inflection points before they become production problems.\n\nRecruit, mentor, and lead a small mechanical engineering and technician team as the operation scales.\n\nWHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE\nFirst 90 days: you own the mechanical design baseline for the pilot line and have closed the highest-risk hardware unknowns.\n\nFirst 6 months: Our pilot cell is built, commissioned, and producing repeatable outputs with instrumented, process data flowing to the software team.\n\nREQUIRED SKILLS\n8+ years of hands-on mechanical engineering experience in advanced manufacturing, aerospace, defense, or precision industrial environments, including ownership of production hardware.\n\nDirect, hands-on expertise in CNC machining, fixturing and workholding, metal finishing and surface treatment processes, and metrology.\n\nAbility to read and produce engineering drawings with GD&T per ASME Y14.5.\n\nDemonstrated experience designing and deploying automation and robotics in a production setting: robotic cells, end-of-arm tooling, motion control, PLC/controls integration, and machine safety standards.\n\nStrong machine design fundamentals: structural and thermal analysis, materials selection, precision alignment, vibration, and design for serviceability.\n\nExpert CAD capability (SolidWorks, NX, Creo, or equivalent) with analysis experience.\n\nProven track record taking hardware from concept through build, commissioning, and debug; including owning what happens when it doesn't work on the first try.\n\nComfort operating in a fast-moving, early-stage environment: high ownership, ambiguous requirements, and direct accountability for outcomes.\n\nMust be a U.S. Person as defined under ITAR (22 CFR §120.62).\n\nPREFERRED SKILLS\nAdvanced Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Science, or a related field; advanced degree a plus.\n\nDirect, hands-on expertise in additive manufacturing. You have designed for, operated, or built AM systems and understand their process physics, failure modes, and qualification challenges.\n\nExperience in defense or aerospace production programs, or supporting defense primes and government customers.\n\nExperience at a high-growth startup building manufacturing capability from zero to one.\n\nBackground in ceramics, composites, polymer-derived ceramics, high-temperature materials, or thermal processing (furnaces, pyrolysis, sintering).\n\nExperience with laser-based manufacturing systems, optics integration, or laser safety (ANSI Z136).\n\nFamiliarity with autonomous or lights-out manufacturing systems, in-process monitoring, and closed-loop process control.\n\nWorking fluency with data and software teams: scripting (Python), sensor integration, data schemas, or applied ML in manufacturing environments.\n\nExperience in regulated manufacturing environments (AS9100, ITAR, DFARS, NADCAP, or equivalent), including qualification and first-article processes.\n\nFamiliarity with NDT, metrology, and inspection methods for critical components.\n\nPrior experience designing transportable, containerized, or modular production systems.","description_format":"text","description_chars":6594,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":8,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Venture Capital","Angel Networks & Startup Accelerators"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-08-25T19:18:50Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":19,"band":"cold","label":"Long shot","p_open":1,"p_active":0.417,"p_room":0.45,"age_days":52,"expected_fill_days":27,"reasons":["conf:0","win:tail"],"computed_at":"2026-10-17T05:46:00Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/interplay-lead-mechanical-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/interplay-lead-mechanical-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-17T20:08:36Z","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":3702,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-18T00:00:00Z"}},"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":705967},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=705967"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Finterplay-lead-mechanical-engineer"},{"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%2Finterplay-lead-mechanical-engineer"},{"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%2Finterplay-lead-mechanical-engineer"},{"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/interplay-lead-mechanical-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Finterplay-lead-mechanical-engineer"}]}