Senior Mechanical Design Engineer

Advanced Navigation is the world’s most determined innovator in AI robotics and navigation technologies across land, air, sea and space applications. Founded on a culture of research and discovery, Advanced Navigation's mission is to be the catalyst of the autonomy revolution. Fields of expertise include artificial intelligence, underwater sonar, GNSS, radio frequency systems, inertial sensors, robotics, quantum sensors and photonics. 

Today, Advanced Navigation is a supplier to some of the world's largest companies, including Airbus, Boeing, Google, Tesla, NASA, Apple, and General Motors. Discover it for yourself: https://youtu.be/F7uAqs1gtuk

About the opportunity

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Senior Mechanical Design Engineer to join our dedicated engineering team. In this role, you will be the resident mechanical expert responsible for the precision design, structural development, and opto-mechanical packaging of our high-performance Fibre Optic Gyroscope (FOG) systems. This is a critical position directly impacting the accuracy and structural reliability of our inertial navigation products. Working in a tight-knit, multidisciplinary team, you will bridge the gap between interdisciplinary teams, providing essential expertise in ultra-precise packaging, thermal drift mitigation, and structural dynamics.

Key responsibilities:

Precision Mechanical Design: Own the mechanical layouts, physical configurations, and precision packaging for complex FOG systems from concept to production.

Opto-Mechanical Integration: Design specialised mechanical housings, mounting structures, and high-precision manufacturing aids for sensitive active and passive photonics components integration and manufacture.

Simulation Capability: Create and verify simulations that model the mechanical effects on optical systems. Run experiments to validate simulations.

Thermal Drift Mitigation: Analyse and mitigate the effects of transient and steady-state thermal gradients on sensitive optical fiber assemblies and electronic boards.

Structural & Environmental Ruggedisation: Design robust features to isolate optical paths from high-g shocks, random vibrations, and magnetic interference typical in aerospace and defence environments.

Advanced CAD Modelling: Use SolidWorks to create detailed 3D models, complex assemblies, and production-ready engineering drawings utilising GD&T principles.

Design Methodology: Apply strict Design for Manufacture (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) principles to ensure FOG designs can be easily transitioned to cleanroom assembly and scaled for high-reliability production.

Testing & Validation: Collaborate with the testing team to execute Environmental Stress Screening (ESS), analysing mechanical failures and driving Root-Cause Analysis (RCA).

Collaboration: Easily communicate with mechanical engineers in external teams for product integration as well as provide mechanical guidance for internal team members.

Qualifications and experience

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, or a highly relevant engineering discipline.

Experience: Demonstrated experience in high-precision mechanical design, preferably involving opto-mechanical packaging, sensor development, or precision instruments.

Thermal & Structural Analysis: Proven track record in designing for thermal management and mitigating micro-strain/stress on sensitive components. Proficiency in Finite Element Analysis (FEA) for thermal and structural dynamics is required.

CAD Proficiency: Expertise with industry-standard CAD and PDM software, with a preference for SolidWorks.

Manufacturing Savvy: Practical experience with precision machining processes, and New Product Introduction (NPI) workflows. Knowledge of adhesive bonding, such as urethane, epoxy, acrylates is an advantage

Domain Expertise: Prior experience working directly with FOGs, interferometric sensors, inertial navigation system mechanics is a significant advantage.

Ideal Candidate Profile and Past Experience

The ideal candidate is a hands-on mechanical expert who thrives on solving sub-micron level stability problems. You understand that in the world of FOGs, even microscopic mechanical stress or a minor thermal gradient translates directly into sensor error. Your role is to build a flawless physical fortress around the optical path, letting the photonics and electronics teams focus on core signal development.

We are specifically looking for expertise in:

Advanced Thermal Management: You have a demonstrated ability to design symmetric mechanical structures that counteract thermal expansion and isolate the optical loop from external temperature fluctuations.

Environmental Ruggedisation: You have experience designing for harsh environments, ensuring that delicate components can withstand harsh random vibration and shock profiles without shifting or failing.

Production & GD&T: You have a strong understanding of manufacturing processes to ensure components coming from high-precision machine shops fit perfectly every time during assembly.