Mechanical Engineer, Missile Defense (Senior-Staff)

YOUR MISSION

The next generation of missile defense demands hardware that performs flawlessly at hypersonic speeds, survives extreme thermal and aerodynamic environments, and delivers precision intercept against the most advanced threats ever fielded. True Anomaly is building that hardware — and we are looking for engineers who want to be part of it.

As a Mechanical Engineer at True Anomaly, you will play a critical role in designing and developing flight hardware for some of the most technically demanding programs in the defense aerospace industry. From interceptor systems and kill vehicles to hypersonic flight vehicles, you will engineer mechanical systems that must perform flawlessly in extreme thermal, aerodynamic, and high-g environments — building the hardware that matters most when it counts.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serve as technical authority and subject matter expert in missile defense and hypersonic vehicle mechanical design, providing engineering leadership across interceptor, kill vehicle, and hypersonic flight vehicle programs.
• Own and drive the full mechanical architecture of flight vehicle structures and systems — from system-level requirements definition and concept development through qualification, flight certification, and lessons learned capture.
• Define structural design philosophy, sizing criteria, and margins of safety for flight vehicle primary and secondary structures across high-dynamic-pressure, high-g maneuver, and thermally coupled hypersonic flight environments.
• Lead the design and development of guidance, navigation, and control (GN&C) hardware and seeker packaging architectures, establishing integration standards for precision optical and RF sensor assemblies within highly constrained kill vehicle and interceptor envelopes.
• Own the thermal protection system (TPS) design strategy for hypersonic and re-entry flight vehicles, including material selection, panel and tile integration architecture, aeroheating-driven structural trades, and qualification approach for ablative, ceramic, and composite TPS systems.
• Lead mechanical integration of propulsion subsystems, including solid rocket motor structural interfaces, divert and attitude control system (DACS) packaging, nozzle and TVC structural design, and cross-discipline coordination with propulsion engineers to ensure system-level compliance.
• Define and maintain vehicle-level mechanical interface control documents (ICDs), mass properties reports, and configuration baselines across program milestones.
• Chair and lead formal vehicle design reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, FRR) and drive closure of technical risks, RFIs, and subsystem interface actions across the engineering team.
• Establish and enforce GD&T standards, drawing conventions, and CAD model management practices across the mechanical engineering team.
• Collaborate with systems engineering, aerodynamics, thermal, GN&C, and propulsion teams to derive and flow down mechanical requirements, perform requirements verification, and support IV&V activities.
• Develop and approve structural and environmental qualification and acceptance test plans, witness testing, and resolve anomalies and non-conformances against program requirements.
• Leverage spacecraft and space environment design expertise — including precision mechanisms, electronics packaging, and launch load structural design — to inform cross-domain solutions and bring asymmetric technical advantage to missile defense and hypersonic programs.
• Provide technical mentorship and career development guidance to junior and mid-level mechanical engineers, building team capability and domain expertise in missile defense and hypersonic systems.
• Partner with program management and business development to support proposal efforts, schedule and resource planning, and new program captures in missile defense and hypersonic domains.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• 7–15+ years of professional experience in mechanical design, with the majority spent on missile defense, hypersonic vehicle, or high-performance flight system programs.
• Demonstrated expertise in flight vehicle structural design for high-dynamic-pressure, thermally coupled, and high-g flight environments, including experience across multiple interceptor, kill vehicle, or re-entry system programs.
• Extensive hands-on experience with guidance and seeker packaging architecture, including precision optical or RF sensor integration, alignment and retention design, vibration isolation, and EMI management within kill vehicle or interceptor envelopes.
• Deep experience with TPS design and high-temperature materials, including ablative, ceramic, and composite systems, and ownership of TPS qualification approaches for hypersonic or re-entry applications.
• Proven experience leading mechanical integration of propulsion subsystems, including solid rocket motor interfaces, DACS packaging, and TVC structural design, with full cross-discipline coordination responsibility.
• Expert-level proficiency in NX (Siemens) and/or SolidWorks, including complex multi-subsystem vehicle assemblies, configuration management, and CAD team leadership.
• Mastery of GD&T principles, with experience defining and enforcing drawing and model standards across a program or organization.
• Proven track record of leading flight vehicle hardware programs from concept through test or flight certification, including full ownership of technical risk and schedule.
• Experience chairing or leading formal vehicle design reviews at the subsystem or full vehicle level.
• Strong familiarity with relevant defense and aerospace standards (e.g., MIL-SPEC, MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-1540, AIAA S-110) and their application to design, analysis, and test.
• Experience with configuration management, MES, and PLM tools (e.g., Teamcenter, Windchill) at a program leadership level.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, with demonstrated ability to communicate complex technical topics to executive, program, and customer audiences.

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Master's degree or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 10+ years of experience specifically in interceptor systems, kill vehicles, or hypersonic flight vehicle mechanical design, with multiple programs delivered to flight test or operational fielding.
• Experience as a lead mechanical engineer or chief engineer on a missile defense or hypersonic program, with ownership of vehicle-level mechanical architecture and cross-subsystem integration.
• Deep experience with kill vehicle or hit-to-kill interceptor hardware, including ultra-mass-constrained structures, precision seeker alignment under vibration and thermal loading, and flight-critical deployment or divert mechanism design.
• Experience with hypersonic flight vehicle aeroshell design, including TPS panel integration, structural joint design under aeroheating, and ablative material qualification.
• Background in spacecraft or satellite mechanical design, with the ability to apply space environment principles — precision mechanisms, electronics packaging, launch load structures — as cross-domain technical leverage on missile defense and hypersonic programs.
• Familiarity with structural analysis and FEA methods (e.g., NASTRAN, Ansys) and demonstrated ability to guide and review analysis performed by the broader engineering team.
• Experience supporting business development, proposal writing, and new program captures in missile defense or hypersonic domains, including DARPA, MDA, or Air Force Research Laboratory programs.
• Background working in a startup or high-growth aerospace and defense company, with experience scaling engineering teams and processes under program constraints.
• Active U.S. security clearance (Secret or TS/SCI), or ability and willingness to obtain one.

COMPENSATION

• Base Salary:  
  • Denver: $130,000 - $220,000 
    
  • Long Beach: $135,000 - $230,000

• Equity + Benefits including Health, Dental, Vision, HRA/HSA options, PTO and paid holidays, 401K, Parental Leave 

Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, location, and experience. 

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Work Location—This is a fully onsite role. Candidates must be based in or able to commute to our Denver or Long Beach office daily.
• Work environment—the work environment; temperature, noise level, inside or outside, or other factors that will affect the person's working conditions while performing the job.
• Physical demands—the physical demands of the job, including bending, sitting, lifting and driving.

This position will be open until it is successfully filled. To submit your application, please follow the directions below. #LI-Onsite