As a fully owned subsidiary of Safran Electronics & Defense, Safran Electronics & Defense Australasia Pty Ltd (SEDA) delivers and supports various products including high-performance optronics and inertial navigation equipment.
SEDA is experiencing strong growth and is seeking an experienced Mechanical Engineer to lead the mechanical, environmental, and thermal design and development, as well as integration, assembly, and verification activities associated with SEDA product development and optronic sensor integration projects.
Reporting to the Head of Engineering, the Mechanical Engineer will hold an engineering delegation within the organization, leading all mechanical design activities, design reviews, and manufacturing transfer processes.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Develop mechanical requirements, specifications, design documentation, verification plans, and performance testing procedures.
- Lead mechanical design and assembly activities throughout the entire product lifecycle.
- Design advanced gimbal assemblies for optronic sensors.
- Define mechanical interfaces between optics, sensors, electronics, actuators, airframes, and chassis.
- Lead all thermal analysis and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling and simulation activities, engaging support partners as needed.
- Establish mechanical engineering product development tools, test environments, V&V (Verification & Validation) plans, and work breakdown structures (WBS) for relevant products and projects.
- Drive precision gimbal design activities, including the selection of bearings, actuators, and stepper motors, working closely with the supply chain.
- Lead initiatives to minimize friction, hysteresis, and backlash in mechanical systems.
- Perform tolerance analysis and manage stack-up, optimize structural stiffness, and design lightweight structures.
- Oversee shock and vibration isolation for sensitive assemblies.
- Lead sensor alignment and boresight processes and develop manufacturing methods.
- Estimate project costs and level of effort required.
- Manage design reviews, conduct technical risk assessments, handle engineering change processes, and mentor engineers in the mechanical domain.
- Support control loop implementation and system-level performance optimization.
New Product Development and Commercialisation
- Lead the mechanical engineering development of optronics products from concept through prototype, qualification, and transition to commercially delivered, fielded product.
- design-for-manufacture and design-for-supportability principles from early architecture stages to support commercial delivery maturity.
- Coordinate with SED France engineering department to manage the transfer of Background IP, alignment of design approach across multiple products, to setup a mechanical engineering peer review community and to receive training and mentoring from mechanical engineering optronics design expertise within Safran.
