# Principal Mechanical Engineer at Clera

Principal Mechanical Engineer at Clera in San Francisco. On-site, full-time, paying $235k–$305k. Posted October 29, 2026.

- Company: Clera
- Location: San Francisco
- Workplace: On-site
- Job type: Full-time
- Pay: $235k–$305k
- Posted: 2026-10-29
- Apply: https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/clera/c2c9e05c-bd20-4634-a76c-0d0c657f0929/application
- Source: https://jobmagic.ai/jobs/principal-mechanical-engineer-clera-hyjfgd

## Requirements

- 10 or more years designing and shipping complex hardware systems, with repeated experience taking products from prototype through manufacturing and field deployment.
- Mechanical design is your primary discipline, including hands-on CAD, structures, mechanisms, and packaging.
- Deep mechanical expertise and sound technical judgment in at least one adjacent area, such as electrical engineering, power electronics, or embedded systems.
- Experience leading multidisciplinary hardware integration and designing equipment for demanding real-world environments.
- Ability to correlate your own FEA or hand calculations with bench or field test data.
- Background as a senior individual contributor or technical lead at a hardware company that shipped products.
- Defense, aerospace, robotics, high-performance automotive, maritime, or directed-energy experience is relevant. Experience with ruggedized systems, thermal management, gimbals, qualification standards, or manufacturing setup is valuable.

## Description

### About the Role

Join a small defense technology team developing autonomous directed-energy systems for counter-drone applications. As Principal Mechanical Engineer, you will guide full-system mechanical architecture and integration, bringing hardware from prototype through production and field deployment.

### What You'll Do

- Own mechanical architecture across the system and lead integration with electrical, power, embedded, and optical subsystems.

- Make and guide technical decisions from concept through production readiness.

- Drive hardware release and production processes in partnership with manufacturing.

- Review designs, calculations, and test results to surface risks and strengthen engineering standards.

- Perform hands-on design and problem-solving, including tradeoffs across cost, mass, reliability, schedule, and field performance.

- Mentor engineers through technical collaboration and example.

### What We're Looking For

- 10 or more years designing and shipping complex hardware systems, with repeated experience taking products from prototype through manufacturing and field deployment.

- Mechanical design is your primary discipline, including hands-on CAD, structures, mechanisms, and packaging.

- Deep mechanical expertise and sound technical judgment in at least one adjacent area, such as electrical engineering, power electronics, or embedded systems.

- Experience leading multidisciplinary hardware integration and designing equipment for demanding real-world environments.

- Ability to correlate your own FEA or hand calculations with bench or field test data.

- Background as a senior individual contributor or technical lead at a hardware company that shipped products.

- Defense, aerospace, robotics, high-performance automotive, maritime, or directed-energy experience is relevant. Experience with ruggedized systems, thermal management, gimbals, qualification standards, or manufacturing setup is valuable.

### Compensation & Benefits

Base salary: $235,000 to $305,000 annually. Visa sponsorship is not available.

### Location

On-site in San Francisco, California.