Mechanical Design Lead

Location:

Experience:

About This Role

Mechanical Design Lead

This is a leadership role where you’ll not only engineer products but also build processes, mentor engineers, and establish structured mechanical design practices in our fast-moving environment.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Lead

  end-to-end design and development

  of new defence products, from initial sketches to certified field hardware.
• Supervise and mentor Mechanical Design Engineers and freshers; grow them into independent contributors.
• Establish structured

  design systems

  : DFMEA, tolerance stacks, BOM management, revision control.
• Own

  prototyping and testing cycles

  : coordinate with production, oversee builds, validate against MIL-STD-810G, IP67, and defence compliance.
• Drive

  simulation and analysis

  (ANSYS, MATLAB, FEA, fatigue, vibration).
• Conduct structured

  design reviews and quality gates

  to ensure manufacturability, ruggedness, and reliability.
• Work closely with cross-functional teams to deliver integrated systems.
• Support certification processes and external defence evaluations with clear technical documentation.

Requirements

• 5–10 years of

  hands-on mechanical new product development

  experience (preferably in defence, aerospace, or hardware startups).
• Strong command of CAD (SolidWorks, Fusion 360) and analysis tools (ANSYS, MATLAB).
• Deep understanding of

  materials, tolerances, MIL standards, ruggedization, and manufacturing processes

  (CNC, 3D printing, casting, sheet metal).
• Experience leading

  prototype-to-production transitions

  in complex systems.
• Strong problem-solving mindset with proof of

  what you have designed, tested, and shipped

  .
• Passion for building and owning products end-to-end — not just drawings.

Read Before Applying

• This role demands

  hard work, tenacity, and ownership

  . If you prefer routine over unpredictability, this isn’t for you.
• You’ll be expected to

  design, build, break, fix, and repeat

  — fast.
• We’re creating products that

  don’t exist in India yet

  ; expect ambiguity, intensity, and steep learning curves.
• If you want a safe, comfy job, look elsewhere. If you want to

  solve real problems that matter to national security

  , read on.

Why You Should Join Us

• Work on

  mission-critical defence hardware

  — not just paper designs.
• Be the

  owner

  , not just an engineer: your work will define the product.
• Collaborate with

  top-tier engineers across disciplines

  .
• Do work that directly impacts

  national security

  .
• Experience the adrenaline of

  design → prototype → test → deployment

  .

What You’ll Get

• Extreme ownership

  and autonomy.
• Freedom to experiment, fail, learn, and ship.
• A high-intensity, high-growth learning environment.
• The satisfaction of building something that actually works in the field.

About Us

Astr Defence

We’re not just designing hardware.

We’re building India’s defence future — and it’s anything but ordinary.

mission