Mechanical Engineering Lead - Power Electronics

Company Overview

Imagine a piloted air taxi that takes off vertically, then quietly carries you and your fellow passengers over the congested city streets below, enabling you to spend more time with the people and places that matter most. At Joby, we've been working to make that dream a reality since 2009 and we're now in the final stages of certifying our aircraft with the FAA. With plans to launch our aircraft in the US and Dubai, we're now scaling manufacturing and preparing for the launch of our commercial service.

Overview

Joby is looking for a hands-on mechanical engineering leader to guide the team that designs our power electronics hardware. That includes the inverters that drive our propulsion systems, as well as the smaller inverters that power control surfaces and other actuators. You’ll lead a team of five mechanical engineers, working closely with electrical, thermal, manufacturing, and systems teams. Together you’ll take designs from early architecture through certification and into production.

This is a leadership role that stays close to the engineering. You’ll coach and develop the team, set the technical direction for mechanical design, and stay involved enough in the details to make good calls on engineering and design tradeoffs. On some programs you’ll also lead cross-functional teams beyond mechanical engineering.

The team has a strong foundation. You’ll build on its strengths and shape its practices as our products mature, with a focus on simple, elegant design grounded in first-principles analysis, and rapid iteration.

Responsibilities

Lead, mentor, and develop a team of ~5 mechanical engineers, including hiring, performance feedback, and career growth

Own the mechanical design for propulsion inverters and smaller actuator and control-surface inverters

Guide design decisions across thermal management, structural and vibration performance, high-voltage packaging, sealing, and EMI considerations

Lead projects through the full development lifecycle: architecture, design, prototyping, test, qualification, certification, and production

Partner with electrical, thermal, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and systems teams to drive projects in a direction that meets the company and program goals

Lead cross-functional project teams when needed

Promote sound engineering practices, including first-principles analysis, design reviews, DFM/DFA, and test-driven verification/validation

Stay hands-on: review designs, support analysis and test, and help the team through technical problems

Required

B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in mechanical engineering or a related discipline, or equivalent experience

8+ years of mechanical design experience, with a focus on electromechanical systems

Experience mentoring and developing engineers

Demonstrated success leading complex projects from concept through production

Strong grounding in thermal and structural design for electronics, such as cooling, vibration, and packaging

Hands-on experience with design, prototyping, and testing

Proficiency with CAD, thermal and mechanical analysis tools.

Clear, efficient communication of complex technical concepts to engineers and non-engineers

Desired

2 years in management role leading engineers or technical teams

Experience with power electronics, such as inverters, power modules, battery systems, or motor/actuator drives

High-voltage design experience, including busbars, creepage/clearance, potting, and connectors

Experience with environmental qualification (e.g., DO-160) and aerospace certification processes

Experience with reliability and safety analysis, such as FMEA

Experience taking products through production

Experience with Catia (v6/3Dx preferred) or comparable enterprise CAD/PLM tools

Additional Information

Compensation at Joby is a combination of base pay and Restricted Stock Units (RSUs). The target base pay for this position is $161,200 - $182,400/yr. The compensation package will be determined by job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Joby also offers a comprehensive benefits package, including paid time off, healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan with a company match, an employee stock purchase plan (ESPP), short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, and more.