Job Description
Job DescriptionAbout the Role
This is a high-ownership, ground-floor hardware leadership role on a team building a chip-based LiDAR seeker system for counter-UAS interceptors. You'll own the full hardware architecture — mechanical, optical, and electrical integration — and translate photonics simulations into a ruggedized, flight-ready product. As the first dedicated hardware architecture leader, you'll be shaping the entire hardware stack from scratch and building the team around it.
What You'll Do
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Define the full hardware architecture for a LiDAR missile seeker, covering mechanical packaging, lens mounting, PCB placement, and seeker diameter.
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Deliver a physical prototype and CAD within the first 60–90 days to demonstrate form factor and system capabilities to customers.
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Own the certification and qualification process required to mount the seeker on partner missile platforms, including compliance documentation.
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Serve as the integration layer between photonics and electrical teams, packaging optical and power architectures into a high-G ruggedized system ready for flight.
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Hire and lead a small hardware team, including a hands-on mechanical engineer, and set the technical bar for the growing organization.
What We're Looking For
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8+ years of experience in hardware engineering for defense, aerospace, or electro-optical systems.
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Prior experience designing or integrating a seeker or payload on a missile platform at a prime defense contractor or national lab — this is a firm requirement.
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Strong background in system architecture for electro-optical or active sensing hardware: optomechanical design, lens mounting, PCB placement, and seeker packaging.
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Hands-on experience with missile qualification certifications and ruggedization for high-G environments.
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Familiarity with environmental testing standards such as MIL-STD-810 (shock, vibration, thermal).
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Experience leading or growing a small hardware engineering team.
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Degree in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, optical engineering, or physics.
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Experience with LiDAR, imaging, or electro-optical systems is a strong plus.
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Prototype-to-production transition experience, including design reviews and qualification builds.
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Proficiency with CAD tools (SolidWorks or equivalent).
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U.S. Person status (ITAR) and ability to obtain a security clearance — required. No visa sponsorship is available.
Compensation & Benefits
Base salary range: $180,000 – $240,000 USD annually. Visa sponsorship is not available for this role.
Location
On-site, 5 days per week in Hawthorne, CA.