Mechanical Engineer (Mechanisms and Ruggedized Hardware)

Job summary

Design and own mechanisms, ruggedized enclosures, mounts, and rapid-deployment hardware for reliable operation in extreme cold and degraded environments. Lead the prototype-to-field cycle, including sourcing, assembly, environmental testing, iteration, and cost-conscious design decisions.

Job details

Osprey Systems is building Canada’s sovereign counter-drone capability. Our distributed detection and interception system is designed for the environments where everything else fails: extreme cold, GPS-denied, and network-degraded conditions. We serve critical infrastructure operators and defense customers with a single product line, built in Canada. We are a small founding team backed by a clear funding pathway through Canadian defense innovation programs and paid civilian deployments. The role Everything physical. Our hardware lives outdoors year-round in one of the harshest climates on the continent, and parts of it must actuate reliably after months of cold standby. You own mechanism design, ruggedized enclosures, mounts, and the prototype-to-field loop across the whole product line. What you will do Design mechanisms with stored-energy actuation and release: retention, deployment, and dependable single-use operation after long cold standby. Own ruggedized enclosure design: IP67 sealing, integrated heating, condensation management, and field serviceability with gloves on. Design masts, mounts, and rapid-deploy hardware, including temporary and trailer-mounted configurations. Run the prototype-to-field loop: CAD, rapid prototyping, vendor-built parts, assembly, environmental testing, iteration. Build and run cold-weather test campaigns, including chamber work and outdoor winter validation. Manage prototype supply and make design-for-assembly decisions that keep unit costs on target. Help shape engineering culture, tooling, and hiring as the team grows. What we are looking for 4+ years mechanical design with shipped hardware, ideally mechanisms rather than enclosures alone. Strong mechanism fundamentals: springs, latches, release systems, stored energy, single-shot reliability. Thermal design for electronics in extreme environments. Modern CAD proficiency plus FEA comfort for structural and thermal sanity checks. Hands-on builder who prototypes personally and designs for manufacturability. Design-for-cost discipline and willingness to do winter field work. Nice to have: Deployable or release mechanisms; IP-rated design and environmental qualification / MIL-STD-810 familiarity; small UAV airframe design; spring, gas or pyrotechnic devices; DFM in machining, sheet metal and molding; early-stage hardware startup experience. Apply Now First Name* Last Name* Email Address* Country* Linkedin* Position* Salary Expectation* Upload Resume* Join Our Community We’ll send you job opportunities, Q&As with industry leaders, career insights, and more.

What you’ll do

Design and own mechanisms, ruggedized enclosures, mounts, and rapid-deployment hardware for reliable operation in extreme cold and degraded environments. Lead the prototype-to-field cycle, including sourcing, assembly, environmental testing, iteration, and cost-conscious design decisions.

Requirements

Candidates need at least four years of mechanical design experience with shipped hardware, strong mechanism fundamentals, thermal design knowledge, and proficiency in modern CAD with comfort using FEA. The role also calls for hands-on prototyping, design-for-manufacturability and cost discipline, and willingness to conduct winter field work; experience with deployable mechanisms, IP-rated designs, or environmental qualification is an advantage.

Listed skills

• Organization · Preferred
• Retention · Preferred
• Attention to detail · Preferred
• Energy · Preferred
• iteration · Preferred
• management · Preferred
• Reliable · Preferred
• discipline · Preferred
• email · Preferred

Other relevant skills

Identified from the job description. Confirm important requirements above.

• Mechanical Design
• Mechanism Design
• Stored-Energy Actuation
• Spring and Latch Systems
• Ruggedized Enclosure Design
• Thermal Design
• CAD
• Finite Element Analysis
• Rapid Prototyping
• Design for Manufacturability
• Design for Assembly
• Environmental Testing
• Cold-Weather Testing
• IP67 Sealing
• Supplier and Prototype Management

Job areas

• Engineering
• Manufacturing
• Security & Safety
• Government & Public Sector

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