Senior Design Engineer (Mechanical)

Hubli, Karnataka

3–10 Years

About This Role

We are looking for a Senior Mechanical Design Engineer to drive the design and development of next-generation defence hardware. You will own mechanical systems from concept to field trials, working at the intersection of design, prototyping, ruggedization, and certification.

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

• 3–10 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 is a new-age Indian defence tech company building next-gen systems for the modern battlefield.

We’re not just designing hardware.

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

This isn’t just a job. It’s a mission.