Principal Mechanical Engineer

Saronic Technologies is a leader in revolutionizing autonomy at sea, dedicated to developing state-of-the-art solutions that enhance maritime operations through autonomous and intelligent platforms. Position Overview Saronic is seeking a Principal Mechanical Engineer to provide senior technical leadership across the mechanical engineering organization. This role reports to the Director of Mechanical Engineering and will work across four core areas: Perception Hardware, Marine Engineering, Mechanical Integration, and Structures. This engineer will be accountable for helping teams solve high-priority mechanical engineering problems, make sound technical decisions, and deliver reliable hardware for autonomous surface vessels operating in harsh maritime environments. The ideal candidate has broad mechanical depth, strong first-principles judgment, and the ability to move quickly between design, analysis, integration, test, and production support. Responsibilities - Lead resolution of complex mechanical engineering issues across perception hardware, marine systems, vehicle integration, and structures. - Provide technical direction during design reviews, program reviews, trade studies, root-cause investigations, and build/test activities. - Drive sound engineering decisions across mechanical architecture, subsystem packaging, structural design, marine auxiliary systems, and sensor integration. - Review and improve designs, analyses, drawings, test plans, and validation strategies to ensure technical rigor and execution quality. - Partner with mechanical, electrical, perception, manufacturing, and program teams to deliver hardware that is manufacturable, serviceable, reliable, and production ready. - Mentor engineers and raise the standard for mechanical design practices, analysis methods, documentation, and cross-functional execution. Qualifications Required - Bachelor’s degree or greater in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Marine Engineering, Structural Engineering, or a related field. - 10+ years of mechanical engineering experience in complex hardware development. - Strong fundamentals in mechanical design, structural analysis, materials, tolerance analysis, manufacturability, and system integration. - Experience supporting hardware through concept, design, analysis, prototype build, test, and production. - Proficiency with 3D CAD tools such as Siemens NX, SolidWorks, Creo, or similar. - Experience with hand calculations, FEA, design reviews, engineering drawings, and root-cause analysis. - Ability to communicate clearly, make decisions with incomplete information, and lead technical execution across multiple teams. - Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance. Preferred - Experience with autonomous systems, maritime systems, robotics, aerospace, defense, or other harsh-environment hardware platforms. - Experience in one or more of the following areas: perception hardware, optomechanical systems, marine auxiliary systems, mechanical integration, electronics packaging, or structures. - Familiarity with shock, vibration, corrosion, environmental sealing, thermal management, fatigue, and serviceability considerations. - Experience with ASME Y14.5, GD&T, Femap, ANSYS, CFD, thermal tools, or production release processes. - Prior experience on DoD programs or unmanned maritime systems. - Professional Engineer license or similar professional certification. If this role is based in the United States, it requires access to export-controlled information or items that require “U.S. Person” status. As defined by U.S. law, individuals who are any one of the following are considered to be a “U.S. Person”: (1) U.S. citizens, (2) legal permanent residents (a.k.a. green card holders), and (3) certain protected classes of asylees and refugees, as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) https://www.govinfo.gov/link/uscode/8/1324b. Saronic does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, age, national origin, marital