Mechanical Engineering Manager

Role Overview:
As a Mechanical Engineering Manager, you will be the primary technical and people leader for the mechanical engineering discipline at SOE. You will be accountable for mechanical engineering design decisions, execution quality, and delivery outcomes across hardware development projects in multiple industries, including aerospace, renewable energy, medical devices and robotics. 

In this role, you will be responsible for leading and supporting a team of mechanical engineers, providing clear technical direction, developing engineering talent, and creating an environment that encourages collaboration and continuous improvement. You will work closely with cross-functional partners and leadership to align team efforts with business goals, while also helping shape processes and capabilities that mature the mechanical engineering discipline at SOE.

What You Will Do:

• Own mechanical engineering technical decisions and outcomes across projects, serving as the escalation point for critical design tradeoffs, technical risk, and delivery challenges 
• Lead, mentor, and manage the mechanical engineering team, setting clear performance expectations, developing their technical and leadership skills, and building a strong, accountable engineering culture 
• Provide hands-on technical guidance across the mechanical engineering development lifecycle, from concept design and analysis through prototyping and production
• Partner with Business Development and project leadership to define technical scope, execution plans, and success criteria
• Establish standards, processes, and best practices that improve design quality, consistency, and execution efficiency 

What You Will Need:

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Robotics, Physics, or a related field
• 7+ years in a mechanical engineering and hardware development role for aerospace, industrial automation, robotics, or similar industries 
• 5+ years in engineering design leadership and/or people management roles 
• Strong background in electromechanical system design and tightly coupled hardware systems
• Proficiency in computer-aided design (CAD), finite element analysis (FEA), and computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
• Experience leading cross-functional hardware development teams 
• Strong communication skills; ability to synthesize and communicate technical information to non-technical stakeholders
• Ability to manage technical risk, scope, and delivery across multiple projects 

What Would Be Useful: 

• Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Management, or a related field
• Previous experience in a consulting or customer-facing role 
• Experience with electronics packaging, custom actuators, and mechanism designs
• Experience with steady state and dynamic thermal and structural analyses 
• Familiarity with electrical engineering design work and knowledge of embedded systems, firmware, power electronics, analog control, or discrete logic design 
• Experience with navigating ambiguous situations and delivery of difficult information to senior leadership, employees and clients

Benefits:

• Compensation range of $159,980-$197,700 + equity incentive plan
• Flexible work hours and work from home policy 
• 100% employer-paid health insurance (Medical, Dental, Vision) for employees + 50% dependent coverage
• Unlimited paid time off policy, 11x paid company holidays, 12x paid sick days
• 401(k) retirement account and employer matching (Safe Harbor 4%)
• Generous paid parental leave
• Relocation assistance available if 50+ miles away from the office
• Catered lunches, snacks, and accessible kitchen

About SOE:
Second Order Effects (SOE) is an engineering consulting firm that specializes in electrical, electromechanical, and embedded systems. Founded in 2016, SOE has grown from a 3-person operation to a team of over 40 members across offices in El Segundo, California and Redmond, Washington. Over the last nine years, we have completed over 250 projects and serviced over 100 different customers. Our designs control rocket engines, manage satellite communications, instrument fusion reactors, and are enjoyed by consumers around the world. The only thing we won’t build are weapons.

Second Order Effects practices a “first principles approach” to technical problems. We break down complex challenges to their most fundamental components. This enables us to find solutions across industries, use cases, and engineering functions. 

As an engineering consulting firm, we focus on solving the right problems and building teams to take them on. Going beyond just resolving tough issues, we want to answer impactful questions. 

Additional Requirements:

• Applicant must be willing to work 40 hours a week on-site at our El Segundo, California facility 
• Applicant must be eligible to work on export controlled projects
• Job Type: Full-time (Salary)

Export Control Requirements:
To conform with U.S. Government export control regulations, including the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide sponsorship at this time.

If you don’t meet 100% of the preferred skills and experience, we encourage you to still apply!
Second Order Effects is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SOE is governed on the basis of excellence and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status.