Senior Mechanical Engineer
Company websitegetclera.com (Clera, opens in new tab)
Base salary $165K to $210K
Employer-published annual base salary, USD. Advertised base range in Detroit, MI
You apply on the employer's own site. Six Figure Work does not handle applications.
- LocationDetroit, MI
- WorkplaceOn-site
- Status at last checkSource accepting applications when checked
- Last checked (55 min ago) · observed since
About this job
About the Role
Own major mechanical subsystems for ruggedized, field-deployable directed-energy systems, from early architecture through production handoff. You will work across a lean engineering team to help ensure systems perform reliably in demanding field conditions.
What You'll Do
Design and validate mechanical subsystems, including enclosures, beam director structures, gimbals, and precision mounts.
Perform static, modal, random vibration, and shock response spectrum FEA, then correlate results with bench and field testing.
Develop thermal management solutions for high-power laser and electronics packaging across thermal cycles.
Build, instrument, and operate test rigs to characterize system behavior before field deployment.
Design for MIL-STD-810 shock and vibration requirements and other austere environments.
Take designs from concept through prototyping, validation, field testing, and manufacturing handoff.
Lead design reviews, collaborate with senior engineers, and mentor junior mechanical engineers.
Travel to field test events and range days to validate performance and iterate on designs.
What We're Looking For
At least 5 years of mechanical engineering experience with ruggedized, field-deployable, or high-performance systems, including taking a subsystem from prototype to production.
Strong hands-on FEA experience with ANSYS, Nastran, Abaqus, or equivalent, including test correlation.
Experience designing to MIL-STD-810 or equivalent shock and vibration standards, and packaging precision optomechanical systems.
Experience designing thermal management for high-power systems, building test rigs, and supporting manufacturing handoff.
A BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
Laser, directed-energy, optical bench ruggedization, or vehicle-mounted systems experience is a plus.
U.S. citizenship is required. The role requires on-site work in Detroit and travel for field testing.
Compensation & Benefits
Base salary is $165,000 to $210,000 annually. Visa sponsorship is not available.
Location
On-site in Detroit, Michigan, with travel for field test events and range validation.
Source: Clera on Ashby · View original posting (opens in new tab)
Pay in context
This role's base floor ($165,000) is above 95% of the 64 Engineering (non-software) roles in Michigan listed on this site. Their median floor is $118,900; the middle half runs from $107,900 to $130,000.
Only jobs on this site count, and each one publishes a base salary of $100,000 or more, so this compares six-figure jobs with each other, not with the whole market. Computed Nov 7, 2026.
This listingSenior Mechanical Engineer$165K to $210K
Staff Engineer - Agentic AI$160K to $250K
Senior/Staff Software Engineer, Platform$160K to $250K
Founding Data Engineer, Pricing and Comps$160K to $220K
Senior/Staff Software Engineer (Platform)$160K to $250K
Founding Product Designer/Engineer$160K to $220K
Senior Android Software Engineer$160K to $200K
Chart as a table
| Role | Published base |
|---|---|
| Senior Mechanical Engineer (this listing) | $165K - $210K |
| Staff Engineer - Agentic AI | $160K - $250K |
| Senior/Staff Software Engineer, Platform | $160K - $250K |
| Founding Data Engineer, Pricing and Comps | $160K - $220K |
| Senior/Staff Software Engineer (Platform) | $160K - $250K |
| Founding Product Designer/Engineer | $160K - $220K |
| Senior Android Software Engineer | $160K - $200K |
Observed changes
- First observed on the employer's board
- Began meeting the published-salary criteria
- Observed since
- Employer-stated posting date
- 2026-11-07
Where this pay comes from
Location as the employer wrote it: Detroit
Base salary is $165,000 to $210,000 annually. Visa sponsorship is not available.
- Method
- Employer text, read with fixed rules and re-verified
- Checked
- Rule set
- us-base-v2
The pay passage appears in the employer's own job text. Fixed, deterministic rules located it, and the passage below was checked against the stored copy of the posting.
What we verified
- The pay figures come from the employer's own listing, quoted exactly above.
- The pay is an annual base salary in US dollars with a minimum of at least $100,000.
- The role was publicly listed on the employer's job board when last checked.
We do not verify what the employer will actually offer, whether the employer is still recruiting for the role, or anything beyond what the employer published. Full methodology.