---
title: 'Operational Performance Engineer, Mass Properties and Vehicle Performance at Mach Industries'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/operational-performance-engineer-mass-properties-and-vehicle-performance-mach-x3vd5npat4g7'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-08-28'
---

# Operational Performance Engineer, Mass Properties and Vehicle Performance at Mach Industries

- **Company:** [Mach Industries](https://feeny.ai/companies/mach-industries)
- **Location:** Huntington Beach, CA
- **Compensation:** $115k–$195k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-08-26
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-08-28
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/mach/0aa7e426-ffc0-43db-a762-8b65e07a3fc9

## Job description

## ABOUT MACH INDUSTRIES

Founded in 2023, Mach Industries is a rapidly growing defense technology company focused on developing next-generation autonomous defense platforms. At the core of our mission is the commitment to delivering scalable, decentralized defense systems that enhance the strategic capabilities of the United States and its allies. With a workforce of approximately 350 employees, we operate with startup agility and ambition.

Our vision is to redefine the future of warfare through cutting-edge manufacturing, innovation at speed, and unwavering focus on national security. We are dedicated to solving the next generation of warfare with lethal systems that deter kinetic conflict and protect global security.

## THE ROLE

Mach Industries is seeking an Operational Performance Engineer to build and maintain vehicle mass properties and vehicle-level performance tracking across multiple programs. You will be responsible for mass, center of gravity, and inertia for every supported vehicle, manage subsystem mass budgets, and ensure each vehicle's mass properties close against its requirements. You will also maintain the broader vehicle performance picture across aerodynamics, propulsion, power, range, endurance, and payload, so that Vehicle Leads and engineering teams always have an authoritative, current answer to where the vehicle stands. Scope and autonomy in this role scale with experience; you will begin by establishing mass properties on a single weight-critical program and grow into broader ownership across programs.

For weight-critical vehicles, mass properties is a full-time fight. You will safeguard the CG envelope and moment of inertia requirements as design trades are made and the vehicle is laid out, report weekly status and trends by subsystem, and evaluate the impact of actual part weights before build and flight. For smaller vehicles, you will provide the same rigor scaled to program maturity. Beyond mass properties, you will maintain performance baselines, budgets, margins, and assumptions across all performance domains, reconcile predictions against discipline analyses, CAD, as-built hardware, and test data, and communicate the current performance picture to vehicle teams.

This role is part of Operational Performance within Mach's Vehicle Design and Performance organization, alongside Conceptual Design and MDAO. Conceptual Design creates, MDAO enables, and Operational Performance assesses. You will bring together inputs from Mechanical, Propulsion, Aerodynamics, GNC, Configuration Management, Manufacturing, and Flight Test to build a clear, current picture of vehicle performance, and you will partner with MDAO engineers on shared tooling and automation.

The ideal candidate has dedicated mass properties experience on at least one complex aerospace vehicle program and understands the interactions between mass properties and every other performance domain. More experienced candidates will take full ownership across programs immediately; earlier-career candidates will build toward that scope through hands-on work on a single weight-critical program.

## KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

- Own vehicle mass properties, including mass, center of gravity, and moments and products of inertia, across configurations and mission states for all supported programs.
- Own the vehicle mass fraction and CG envelope, ensuring mass properties satisfy vehicle-level requirements.
- Own moment of inertia tracking against Level 1 vehicle requirements for pitch, yaw, and roll.
- Assign, manage, and enforce subsystem and team-level mass budgets in coordination with configuration management and integration teams.
- Deliver weekly CG status and mass-versus-budget reporting by subsystem and team.
- Deliver weekly mass trend analysis, identifying which groups are trending heavy, the rate of growth, and the risk to vehicle closure.
- Support engineering trades as they pertain to weight impact, providing mass property data and analysis to inform design decisions.
- Own analytical-versus-actual weight reconciliation by obtaining actual part weights, evaluating the impact on the vehicle, and assessing readiness before build and flight.
- Maintain vehicle and subsystem performance baselines, budgets, margins, and assumptions across aerodynamics, propulsion, power, range, endurance, and payload from early design through flight test.
- Assess how design decisions and configuration changes affect vehicle-level performance across all domains.
- Reconcile predictions with discipline analyses, CAD, as-built hardware, and ground and flight test data.
- Automate performance tracking and reporting, partnering with MDAO engineers on shared tooling and data pipelines.
- Keep performance records traceable and reproducible, and communicate status, uncertainty, and findings to Vehicle Leads and engineering teams.

## REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

- Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field.
- 2+ years of relevant experience in vehicle performance, mass properties, vehicle design, flight dynamics, systems engineering, or a related discipline.
- Dedicated mass properties experience, including weight tracking, CG and inertia accounting, or mass budget management, on at least one complex aerospace vehicle program.
- Experience with configuration-controlled mass property records and multi-team mass budget management.
- Experience assessing weight impact of design trades and configuration changes at the vehicle level.
- Strong understanding of vehicle performance and the interactions among mass properties, aerodynamics, propulsion, structures, power, and controls.
- Experience using Python, Julia, MATLAB, or a similar technical computing language for engineering analysis.
- Ability to organize inputs from multiple disciplines, spot inconsistencies, and explain what they mean at the vehicle level.
- Ability to communicate analyses with clear assumptions, limitations, and uncertainty.

## PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

- Experience as mass properties lead or weight engineer on a large or weight-critical vehicle program.
- Experience with electric, hybrid-electric, or other weight-critical aircraft where mass closure is a persistent design driver.
- Multi-program mass properties experience, covering vehicles at different maturity levels or size classes simultaneously.
- Experience with Siemens NX, CATIA, or similar CAD/PLM tools for mass property extraction and validation.
- Experience maintaining performance baselines, technical budgets, margins, or configuration-controlled engineering data beyond mass properties.
- Experience with aircraft, UAS, missiles, rockets, or other aerospace vehicles.
- Experience building automated analysis, dashboards, or reporting workflows for mass properties or vehicle performance.
- Familiarity with conceptual design, vehicle sizing, flight dynamics, or multidisciplinary vehicle analysis.
- Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.

Disclosures

This position may require access to information protected under U.S. export control laws and regulations, including the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).  Please note that any offer for employment may be conditioned on authorization to receive software or technology controlled under these U.S. export control laws and regulations without sponsorship for an export license.

Mach participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S.

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offers may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and training, critical skills, and business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in most offers and are considered part of Mach’s total compensation package. Mach offers benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans, and opportunities for professional development.

Mach is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. All qualified applicants will be treated with respect and receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, uniform service, Veteran status, age, or any other protected characteristic per federal, state, or local law, including those with a criminal history, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws. If you’d like to defend the American way of life, please reach out!

## DATA PRIVACY

TO VIEW MACH INDUSTRIES CANDIDATE DATA PRIVACY POLICY, PLEASE VISIT HTTPS://MACHINDUSTRIES.COM/PRIVACY-POLICY.

By applying for a job at Mach, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Recruiting Privacy Policy.

## About Mach Industries

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Mach Industries develops and manufactures next-generation asymmetric aerospace and defense systems, including unmanned aircraft, precision munitions, and high-altitude platforms, to deter conflict and advance global security.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series C)
- **Headquarters**: Huntington Beach, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2022
- **Founders**: Not publicly disclosed (founded by a teenage founder from MIT)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Defense & Space, Aerospace, Military Technology
- **Target customers**: B2G (Business to Government) — primarily the U.S. Department of Defense and allied nations
- **Mission or purpose statement**: “Develop and manufacture asymmetric aerospace and defense systems and components by the millions to deter war and advance prosperity.” [machindustries.com](https://www.machindustries.com/)

## Products & Services
- **Viper**: Turbojet-powered vertical takeoff one-way attack unmanned aircraft system (UAS) capable of deploying without additional launcher infrastructure. [machindustries.com](https://www.machindustries.com/)
- **Glide**: Glide munition delivering low-cost precision strike at range. [machindustries.com](https://www.machindustries.com/)
- **Pike**: Long range, low-cost munition designed for decentralized modular deployment en masse. [machindustries.com](https://www.machindustries.com/)
- **Dart**: Low-cost kinetic interceptor scalable for counter-drone operations. [machindustries.com](https://www.machindustries.com/)
- **Stratos**: High-altitude pseudo-satellite capable of deploying communications, sensors, and effects from the stratosphere, thousands of miles from launch point. [machindustries.com](https://www.machindustries.com/)
- **Mach Energetics** (formerly Exquadrum, acquired May 2026): Provides solid rocket motors, pyrotechnics, hypergolic propulsion testing, cryogenic testing, high-pressure testing, high temperature testing, and explosives testing. [machindustries.com](https://www.machindustries.com/) | [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/mach-industries)

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: $1.8 billion (as of May 2026) [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/mach-industries)
- **Total Funding**: ~$485 million (Series C of $300M led by Infinite Capital and Ribbit Capital, closed May 2026) [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/mach-industries)
- **Annual Revenue**: $860,000 (estimated, likely pre-revenue or early-stage) [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/machindustries)
- **Notable Investors**: Bedrock Capital, Sequoia Capital, Khosla Ventures, Infinite Capital, Ribbit Capital [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/mach-industries)
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount grew 113.9% YoY to 184 employees; active job postings up 219.2% YoY; opened a San Francisco office in Feb 2026; acquired Exquadrum (now Mach Energetics) in May 2026; announced Forge 1 factory and partnership with HevenDrones; demonstrated "Venom" flight demonstrator (concept to first flight in 71 days) with Divergent. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/machindustries) | [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/mach-industries)

## Competitive Advantages
- **Speed of iteration**: Demonstrated ability to go from sketch to first flight in 71 days (Venom project with Divergent). [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/machindustries)
- **Vertical integration**: In-house propulsion, energetics, and manufacturing (via Mach Energetics and Forge factory) reduces supply chain bottlenecks. [machindustries.com](https://www.machindustries.com/)
- **Elite talent pool**: Strong hiring from SpaceX (9+ alumni), Anduril (10+ alumni), Tesla, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/machindustries)
- **Rapid valuation growth**: From $470M (June 2025) to $1.8B (May 2026) — a ~3.8x increase in under a year. [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/mach-industries)

## Strategic Focus
- **Scaling manufacturing**: Forge 1 factory is already producing airframes; Mach Energetics acquisition adds propulsion and testing infrastructure. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/machindustries)
- **Autonomy and AI**: Hired Anand Gopalan as Chief Autonomy and Systems Officer (April 2026) to lead Autonomy, Avionics, GNC, and Advanced AI. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/machindustries)
- **International expansion**: Active hiring for Baltic/Nordic Manager role and presence in Lithuania and the UK. [machindustries.com](https://www.machindustries.com/careers) | [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/machindustries)
- **Production at massive scale**: Goal is to manufacture defense systems "by the millions." [machindustries.com](https://www.machindustries.com/)

## Why Work Here
- **Engineering-obsessed culture**: Described as an "engineering-obsessed team pursuing well-guided product bets" with a focus on solving next-generation warfare challenges. [machindustries.com](https://www.machindustries.com/careers)
- **Compensation**: Salary ranges from $150K - $200K for many roles; offers equity and bonuses. [machindustries.com](https://www.machindustries.com/careers)
- **High growth environment**: 184 employees (113.9% YoY growth) with 83 active job postings — significant opportunity for impact and advancement. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/machindustries)
- **Talent density**: Colleagues from SpaceX, Anduril, Tesla, Lockheed Martin, and MIT — a high-caliber peer group. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/machindustries)
- **Locations**: Headquarters in Huntington Beach, CA; offices in San Francisco, CA; operations in Lithuania and the UK. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/machindustries)
- **Employer Rating**: 4.0/5.0 (28 reviews on LinkedIn) with strong scores for Compensation (4.0), Culture (3.9), and Career (4.1); Work-Life balance rated lower (3.1), typical for a high-growth defense startup. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/machindustries)

## Sources
1. [machindustries.com](https://www.machindustries.com/)
2. [machindustries.com/careers](https://www.machindustries.com/careers)
3. [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/mach-industries)
4. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/machindustries)
5. [jobs.ashbyhq.com](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/mach)

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