Principal Mechanical Engineer, Structures at Sphere Defense (Brussels, Belgium)Principal Mechanical Engineer, Structures

Sphere Defense is a fully funded technology startup with the mission of providing allied countries with sovereign, effective and seamless autonomous countermeasures to neutralize todays’ and tomorrow’s aerial threats. Sphere Defense was founded by industry veterans with previous successful exits, and is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, in the heart of Europe.

You are an experienced and highly-motivated Principal Mechanical Engineer, Structures that has worked with high-speed, small-scale flying vehicles (ideally fixed-wing drones). You are familiar with electro-mechanical systems, composite and common (metal, plastic resins) materials, aerodynamics, flight control surfaces and mid- to high- volume production. You also participated in bringing a mechanical product from 0 to 1 with considerable ownership.

You will own the mechanical design of our countermeasure, define the manufacturing technologies and ensure a smooth transition from internal R&D to external production partners.

• Be one of the first members of a high-performing team, designing and developing autonomous countermeasures to protect allied countries from aerial threats
• Design, develop, prototype and test flying vehicles for flight performance, vibration resistance, reliability
• Calculate tolerances, stress and buffers to ensure the correct balance between cost, durability and performance
• Ensure DFM best practices before releasing drawings to vendors
• Identify the right materials and production techniques for different parts of the vehicles
• Identify and interface with external prototype and production partners
• Work closely with the electrical engineering team for E/M co-design
• Identify and work closely with simulation partners for FEA/CFD
• Ensure the designs adhere to the industrial quality standards by drafting test plans and working with test houses for validation and certification
• Draft production-level documentation, including GD&T, during the entire product lifecycle
• Implement rigorous design and review workflows to ensure the highest level of quality
• Be a team player and a mentor, being available to support and grow the team

Location: Onsite in Brussels, Belgium. Our office is close to Central Station. Reports to: Chief Technology Officer

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent
• At least 12 years in relevant roles, with increasing levels of ownership
• Demonstrated experience in the role, bringing products from conception to production with mid-volume production
• Deep experience with complex assemblies, with multiple mating parts
• Deep experience with TA over wide conditions
• Proficiency with SolidWorks or other established CAD packages
• Experience with composite materials and at least two among: plastic injection, thermoforming, metal stamping, machining (milling/turning)
• Experience with medium-scale, integrated electro-mechanical systems (actuators, sensors, flex circuits mechanical outlines, wiring harnesses, electrical connections, etc.)
• Experience in creating and maintaining production-ready documentation (technical drawings, assembly diagrams, etc.)
• Experience with PLM systems (Enovia, Windchill, etc.)
• Hands-on, with demonstrated ability in quickly prototyping mechanical systems
• Ability to execute incoming inspection and dimensional accuracy checks on golden samples

• First-hand expertise with CFD and/or FEA
• Experience with creating CAM programs for manufacturing with CNC and lathe machines
• Experience with electro-optical systems
• Experience setting up in-house prototyping labs
• Experience tutoring operators for incoming quality inspection

• Attractive compensation
• Year-end bonus
• Stock Options Plan
• Mobility Budget
• 32 days of holidays
• Meal vouchers
• Private Health insurance

We are building a core team of hard-working people. If you want to join a company with tremendous impact and you are autonomous, creative and driven, we want to hear from you! Sphere Defense offers attractive compensation, stock options, and a unique opportunity to change the global defense landscape. This role is only open to candidates with right to work in Belgium. We cannot provide visa sponsorship at this time.