Staff Mechanical Engineer

El Segundo, CAStaff / PrincipalFull-TimeMechanical Engineering$167,000 - $209,000Posted September 21, 2026

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.

CHAOS 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, Seattle, and London. For more information, please visit www.chaosinc.com.

Role Overview: CHAOS is seeking a Staff Mechanical Engineer to lead the hands-on mechanical design, packaging, integration, and qualification of 3U and 6U VPX electronic cards, chassis, backplanes, and related ruggedized electronics for dual-use aerospace and defense applications. The ideal candidate brings strong mechanical design and CAD expertise, direct experience with VPX/OpenVPX packaging, and a demonstrated ability to develop production-ready hardware in collaboration with electrical, RF, thermal, manufacturing, and systems engineering teams.

The position spans the product lifecycle from concept development and architecture through detailed design, analysis, prototyping, qualification testing, production, fielding, and sustainment

This requisition is open to candidates who may be considered for a lower or higher job level. Final level and grade will be determined based on relevant experience, skills, and qualifications.

This is a full-time, on-site position in El Segundo, CA.

Responsibilities:· Lead the hands-on mechanical design and packaging of 3U and 6U VPX cards, chassis, card cages, backplanes, and related electronic assemblies

· Develop mechanical architectures, interfaces, card-cage layouts, mounting schemes, thermal interfaces, and design approaches for VPX-based systems

· Design and integrate VPX mechanical features, including card guides, wedgelocks, module retainers, front panels, ejectors, alignment features, backshells, and chassis interfaces

· Create, review, and maintain 3D CAD models, complex assemblies, production drawings, installation documentation, and interface control documents (ICDs)

· Apply OpenVPX and applicable VITA standards to mechanical packaging, connector alignment, slot spacing, backplane interfaces, environmental requirements, and system integration

· Perform or support structural and thermal analyses, hand calculations, tolerance analyses, and design verification activities

· Develop mechanical solutions for conduction cooling, air-flow-through cooling, liquid cooling, thermal interface materials, and heat rejection as required

· Collaborate directly with electrical, RF, thermal, manufacturing, systems engineering, suppliers, and customers to resolve packaging and integration challenges

· Support prototype fabrication, assembly, fit-check, qualification testing, production transition, configuration control, and sustainment of fielded hardware

Minimum Requirements:· Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline

· 7+ years of progressively responsible experience in mechanical design and integration of electronic hardware for aerospace, defense, or similar applications

· Demonstrated experience designing mechanical packaging for 3U and 6U VPX or OpenVPX cards, chassis, card cages, or related systems

· Strong proficiency with mechanical CAD tools, such as SolidWorks or equivalent, including complex assemblies and detailed design

· Experience producing and reviewing production-ready mechanical drawings using GD&T, tolerance analysis, and configuration-controlled documentation

· Experience with VPX connectors, backplanes, card guides, wedgelocks, front panels, alignment features, and card-retention methods

· Working knowledge of applicable VITA and OpenVPX standards, such as VITA 46, VITA 47, VITA 48, and VITA 65

· Understanding of mechanical interfaces, tolerancing, alignment, installation practices, and connector integration

· Familiarity with structural and thermal analysis methods, including hand calculations and FEA

· Demonstrated experience designing or integrating ruggedized hardware for shock, vibration, thermal, and other environmental requirements

· Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work effectively across mechanical, electrical, RF, thermal, manufacturing, and systems engineering teams

· Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance

Preferred Requirements:· Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field

· Experience with VITA 46, VITA 47, VITA 48, VITA 65, or related OpenVPX specifications and system profiles

· Experience designing conduction-cooled, air-flow-through, or liquid-cooled VPX packaging

· Experience with thermal interface materials, heat frames, heat spreaders, cold plates, heat exchangers, or other electronics cooling solutions

· Experience with EMI/EMC shielding, gasketing, grounding, environmental sealing, and connector backshells

· Experience with commercial FEA or thermal simulation tools, such as ANSYS, NASTRAN, ABAQUS, COMSOL, or similar tools

· Experience with machined, sheet-metal, cast, extruded, or additive-manufactured chassis and electronic packaging

· Experience supporting cable harness routing, connector layouts, electromechanical integration, and production transition

· Experience supporting environmental qualification testing, including thermal cycling, vibration, shock, and ingress protection

· Working knowledge of VME/VMEbus open-architecture electronics, including card-level packaging, backplanes, chassis, connectors, or migration to VPX/OpenVPX architectures

Why CHAOS?

Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company
Additional benefits: 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more
Our Perks: Free daily lunch, ‘No meeting Fridays’, unlimited PTO, casual dress code
Compensation Components: Competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon!) annual bonuses
Team Growth: 350 employees and counting across 5 global offices

$167k-209k

The 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.