About the Role
At Innovega, we are pioneering advanced electronics and contact lens technologies to create smart glasses for the low vision community. Our multidisciplinary team is developing cutting-edge solutions in optics, electronics, and wearable systems, to deliver solutions starting with low vision, and expanding to other assistive devices and broader consumer applications. As part of our engineering leadership, you'll play a critical role in bringing these innovations from concept to market.
We are seeking a Mechanical Engineer Technical Lead with strong expertise in systems-level design for compact, high-precision consumer products. This role is ideal for a hands-on engineer who thrives in fast-paced environments, enjoys solving mechanical challenges at the intersection of materials, ergonomics, and human factors, and wants to shape innovative products in wearable assistive technologies.
You will be responsible for driving designs from concept through production, ensuring mechanical integrity, manufacturability, comfort, and reliability at every stage. As a leader, you'll provide technical direction to internal teams and contractors, while collaborating cross-functionally with industrial designers, optical engineers, electrical engineers, software engineers, program managers, and manufacturing partners.
Responsibilities
Design & Development
- Lead system-level mechanical design of wearable smart glasses, balancing size, weight, comfort, durability, and manufacturability.
- Collaborate with Industrial Design (ID) to define mechanical solutions.
- Develop and review designs in CAD, applying best practices in DFX (Design for Manufacturing, Assembly, Test, and Reliability).
- Evaluate and specify materials (plastics, composites, metals) considering weight, thermal management, structural reliability, and manufacturability.
- Design housings, mechanisms, and connectors for tight, reliable packaging.
- Ensure precise tolerances and alignment through reliability testing.
- Validation & Production
- Plan and oversee prototype builds and mechanical validation, including fit, ergonomics, reliability, and environmental testing.
- Own root-cause analysis and corrective action for mechanical design issues.
- Oversee transition from prototype to mass production, ensuring manufacturability and quality.
- Collaborate closely with contract manufacturers and suppliers to optimize tooling, processes, and assembly methods.
- Leadership & Collaboration
- Provide technical guidance, promoting best practices in design and validation.
- Communicate across teams and levels, providing regular updates to execs.
- Lead and participate in design reviews (concept, CAD, tolerance, DFM).
- Act as the primary technical interface with internal stakeholders and external manufacturing partners.
- Foster an inclusive and collaborative engineering culture where all voices are valued.
Qualifications
- Required
- Bachelor's degree (or higher) in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
- 5+ years of experience in mechanical design for complex consumer products.
- Strong background in CAD and mechanical, thermal simulation/analysis.
- Experience with plastics design, injection molding, and tight packaging integration.
- Experience designing for dust and water ingress protection (IP65+).
- Experience taking products from concept to mass production.
- Track record of owning problems end-to-end and solving them with minimal guidance.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to tailor technical discussions to different audiences.
- Preferred
- 2+ years as a technical lead or manager, mentoring teams or leading contractors.
- Experience in wearables, eyewear, AR/VR, or other compact consumer electronics.
- Understanding of optical systems and mechanical alignment challenges.
- Experience working with contract manufacturers and global supply chain partners.
What We're Looking For
We welcome candidates who bring diverse perspectives and problem-solving approaches. The ideal candidate is:
- A systems thinker who can innovate at both the detail and system levels.
- Passionate about ergonomics and human-centered design.
- Driven to produce quality, reliable products.
- Comfortable with ambiguity and proactive in creating clarity.
Able to identify and solve problems with minimal direction.
- A collaborative leader who uplifts team members and drives results.
- Motivated by building technology that improves lives.
Compensation Range: $140,000 to $160,000 + restricted stock awards
- Benefits
- Health cost reimbursement
- 401k retirement plan with matching
- Paid US holidays
- Vacation and sick days
Location: San Diego, CA
As a policy, Innovega provides a flexible work environment. Working from the San Diego lab is an element of each employee's work commitment. However, Company and employee will negotiate specific work schedules that enable best outcome for both.
