# Senior Mechanical Engineer at Clera

Senior Mechanical Engineer at Clera in Detroit. On-site, full-time, paying $165k–$210k. Posted October 30, 2026.

- Company: Clera
- Location: Detroit
- Workplace: On-site
- Job type: Full-time
- Pay: $165k–$210k
- Experience: 5+ years
- Posted: 2026-10-30
- Apply: https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/clera/bb33c823-c676-4b04-8da5-628ae02046e9/application
- Source: https://jobmagic.ai/jobs/senior-mechanical-engineer-clera-vn44gt

## Requirements

- At least 5 years of mechanical engineering experience with ruggedized, field-deployable, or high-performance systems, including taking a subsystem from prototype to production.
- Strong hands-on FEA experience with ANSYS, Nastran, Abaqus, or equivalent, including test validation and correlation.
- Experience designing to MIL-STD-810 or equivalent shock and vibration standards, and with precision optomechanical packaging.
- Thermal management experience on high-power systems, plus experience building and running bench test rigs and instrumentation.
- Experience with design for manufacturability and production handoff.
- BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
- Background in lasers, directed energy, ruggedized optical benches, or vehicle-mounted systems is a plus.
- U.S. citizenship is required.

## Description

### About the Role

Own major mechanical subsystems for ruggedized, field-deployable directed-energy systems, from architecture through production handoff. You will work on a lean engineering team to help ensure high-performance equipment operates reliably in demanding field conditions.

### What You'll Do

- Design and validate mechanical subsystems, including laser source enclosures, gimbal and beam director structures, and precision mounts.

- Perform static, modal, random vibration, and shock response spectrum FEA, then correlate results with bench and field testing.

- Develop thermal management solutions for high-power laser and electronics packaging across thermal cycles.

- Build, instrument, and operate test rigs to characterize systems ahead of field deployment.

- Design to MIL-STD-810 shock and vibration requirements and other austere-environment standards.

- Take designs from concept through prototyping, bench validation, field testing, and manufacturing handoff.

- Lead design reviews, collaborate with senior engineers, mentor junior team members, and travel to field test events.

### What We're Looking For

- At least 5 years of mechanical engineering experience with ruggedized, field-deployable, or high-performance systems, including taking a subsystem from prototype to production.

- Strong hands-on FEA experience with ANSYS, Nastran, Abaqus, or equivalent, including test validation and correlation.

- Experience designing to MIL-STD-810 or equivalent shock and vibration standards, and with precision optomechanical packaging.

- Thermal management experience on high-power systems, plus experience building and running bench test rigs and instrumentation.

- Experience with design for manufacturability and production handoff.

- BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.

- Background in lasers, directed energy, ruggedized optical benches, or vehicle-mounted systems is a plus.

- U.S. citizenship is required.

### Compensation & Benefits

Base salary: $165,000 to $210,000 annually. Visa sponsorship is not available.

### Location

On-site in Detroit, Michigan, with travel for field tests and range validation.