Head of Mechanical Engineering

As the Head of Mechanical Engineering at Manna, you'll report to the Director of Hardware Engineering and lead a team of talented engineers developing the next generation of our aircraft. You'll combine deep technical mastery across mechanical design, analysis, testing & product development disciplines, with strong leadership. This is a hands-on, high-impact role where you'll contribute both as a technical leader and as a mentor to junior engineers. You'll work across teams to deliver reliable, scalable, and elegant solutions to real-world challenges.The ideal candidate must have a track record of delivering complex safety-critical engineering projects from concept through to production and certification. You'll play a critical role in scaling our mechanical engineering capabilities as we expand our commercial deployments.RequirementsLeadership & CollaborationLead, mentor, and grow a team of mechanical engineers, fostering creativity, accountability, and technical excellence.Cultivate a collaborative, values-driven culture that thrives on solving tough problems together.Drive cross-functional coordination with electrical, software, and operations teams to resolve complex system integration challengesEstablish clear DRI accountability and technical decision-making frameworks across mechanical subsystemsMechanical Design & DevelopmentOwn mechanical architecture for next-generation aircraft systems, including composite airframes, propulsion integration, and cargo handling mechanismsLead design solutions for extreme environment operations, including thermal management and environmental protection systemsDrive DFM/DFA optimization for volume manufacturing while meeting EASA certification requirementsChampion reliability engineering practices to achieve commercial aviation safety standardsTechnical Excellence & InnovationBring a first principles approach to technical challenges.Establish design standards, analysis methods, and testing protocols for safety-critical systemsLead root cause analysis and corrective action processes for field issuesDrive adoption of modern CAD/PLM tools and simulation workflowsBuild knowledge base for lessons learned and design best practicesCore CompetenciesTechnical mastery in CAD, simulation, DFM/DFA, thermal analysis, and multi-disciplinary system integrationTeam leadership & mentorship, developing engineers and fostering collaboration in high-stakes environmentsProject & program management, including planning, resourcing, and risk management for safety-critical systemsCross-functional leadership, aligning mechanical design with electrical, software, manufacturing, and regulatory requirementsSupplier & manufacturing engagement, managing vendor relationships, ensuring scalability from prototype to productionDecision-making & problem-solving in regulated environments, balancing performance, cost, certification requirements, and timelinesCommunication & stakeholder management, presenting technical concepts clearly to executives, regulators, and customersInnovation & continuous improvement, driving technical excellence while maintaining compliance and process rigor