Mechanical Designer - Airborne Gyro-Stabilized Optical Systems

Mechanical Designer 

Airborne Stabilized Optical Systems

Burlington ON

**Please note that to be considered for any position at PV Labs, all candidates must be eligible to meet the requirements of the Canadian Controlled-Goods Program of the Defense Production Act, and be able to hold and maintain a Canadian Security Clearance. If you are not clear about your eligibility, please consult the Government of Canada website HERE**

About PVLabs

At PV Labs, we're not just a company we're pioneers in the design, development, and delivery of advanced stabilized airborne imaging systems used by and growing number Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance (ISR) and Public Safety agencies.

Our work revolves around bespoke high-performance stabilization, optics, and data management. Our core stabilization technology forms the backbone of our next-gen systems, and as part of our Mechanical Engineering team, you'll have the opportunity to contribute your deep mechatronics and mechanical engineering expertise towards the design & development of state-of-the-art electro-mechanical stabilization platforms, motion-control systems, camera and lens control systems, video-processing technologies, remote I/O subsystems, and more.

About the Role

A Mechanical Designer role at PV Labs is not your ordinary, stay-in-your-lane kind of role. Instead, its an advanced, multi-disciplinary role that is essential to all aspects of architecture, design, development and delivery of high-performance, gyro-stabilized airborne optical systems. Its where concepts turn into reality, where we do things differently, where getting it right is a whole-team effort, and above all - where your expertise matters.

Our design philosophy is firmly rooted in modularity and component-based engineering because its just the smart thing to do. Working closely with our other engineering labs pushes you to experiment and try new things. We want you to be vocal and involved in improving the efficiency, agility and ingeniousness of our designs. 

For us, Mechanical Engineering takes an interdisciplinary approach (Gateware & Electrical etc.) using standard and non-traditional processes to encourage out-of-the-box thinking that is essential to the specification, development, qualification, and success that we've been known for. The Mechanical Designer position at PV Labs shares in the responsibility and accountability for all aspects of mechanical development related to the design, analysis, verification, manufacturing, troubleshooting, and testing of mechanical parts and subsystems

Reporting to the Vice President of NPI, and indirectly to our Engineering Council and alongside a small but very impressive team, you will:

• Perform detailed design and analysis of electro- and/or opto-mechanical systems including precision drive mechanisms, structural load paths, integration of optical and electro-optical components, ground support equipment, and user interfaces)
• Collaborate with the our other Engineering Labs in the design and packaging of electrical and electro-mechanical components for harsh environments.
• Apply innovative approaches in the creation of new products for commercial and military applications, from concept generation through in service support.
• Work collaboratively across our Engineering Labs with the goal of accelerating overall design outcomes

Other Responsibilities Include:

• Contribute to successful on-time delivery and quality of all designs and analysis.
• Actively drive and participate in design reviews in order to maintain our throughput and cadence for ordering custom parts
• Conduct sound structural and thermal analysis (FEA & CFD)
• Development and maintenance of technical documentation (i.e. part and assembly drawings, manufacturing process documentation, design review presentations) using SolidWorks PDM, Microsoft Office, Atlassian Suite in a highly collaborative environment
• Play a key role in the selection and support of suppliers.
• Working closely with our Production/Operations Labs to quickly resolve issues
• Identify opportunities and recommend strategies for speed, cost reduction and/or reliability improvement 
• Break down requirements into a series of small implementable and traceable tasks with cost and schedule estimates.

Our products are among the most complex mechatronics systems and sensor sub-systems in the market - comprised of tens of thousands of individual components all designed around very tight tolerances, all of which must come together in an orchestrated fashion for flight-tests and customer builds. 

Leadership and Other

• Share and deliberate design ideas, concepts, problem-solving and novel solutions with your peers.
• Develop/Improve knowledge base, standards, and/or workflows to improve the efficiency, agility, and quality of all areas of development and verification.
• Provide guidance and mentoring to other members of the engineering team.

What You'll Need for Success

• Minimum of a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering
• A minimum of 5 years in the following
  • Advanced CAD design (SolidWorks preferred) and GD&T experience.
  • Strong understanding and appreciation for DFM (Design for Manufacturability) and ability to apply these concepts and methodologies to your work
  • Hands-on experience manufacturing and/or assembling components or systems (aerospace an asset)
  • Strong working knowledge of manufacturing methods (ie: machining, composites, casting)
  • Strong working knowledge of machine design and automation

Differentiating Skills

• Familiarity with design for military/aircraft specifications and environmental/safety requirements an asset.
• Any one of Multiphysics, Control Systems, Optical Design, Thermal and Structural Analysis specialties.

About you as an Engineer

Our success is not only derived from the collective technical capabilities of our company, but more importantly HOW we work together. Here's what we value, and we seek those share the following:

• Creativity, Curiosity and Problem Solving, with healthy obsession for attention to detail.
• Not afraid to seek out responsibility and opportunities to take the lead.
• A confident technical communicator who can articulate ideas and concepts, but who also knows that confidence in communication means the ability to ask for help or collaboration when you need it.

• Creative problem solving

• A continuous-improvement approach to design, processes and practices
• Participating in requirements generation
• Providing realistic cost and schedule estimations of assigned work packages
• Drive the design and code reviews, not just a passenger.
• Constructively provide and receive guidance and mentoring to other members of the engineering team as were all in this together.
• Preference for working on small teams that communicate with each other and seek out responsibility.
• The kind of professional maturity that enables you to manage your own time and priorities and finds motivation from multiple sources.
• Due to the nature of our work, you must be eligible to meet the requirements of the Controlled Goods Program requirements of the Government of Canada, and be able to hold and maintain a Canadian Security Clearance.

• You have a University Degree in Mechanical Engineering (advanced degree an asset), or Technical College Diploma combined with exceptional experience.

What's in It for You?

PV Labs is where your engineering career meets limitless innovation and unparalleled impact,  becoming immersed in an environment where groundbreaking technology meets exceptional talent. We take immense pride in our distinctive workplace culture - it fosters collaboration and ingenuity, creating an atmosphere of autonomy, mastery and purpose.

Our workplace culture is derived from our signature work-life philosophy.   We've fully embraced a 4-day, 8-hour per day work week, throughout the year supported by a working mode model that allows you to work from where it makes the most sense. We focus on maximizing performance by measuring outputs instead of metrics on hours or location, and the idea that team performance achieved through individual performance. (Yes there are times during a particular design push, build/assembly or preparing for a critical flight test may mean some more time - we do our best to stay true to the 4-day work week)

Bottom line, as an integral member of our team, you'll be able to channel your focus, passion, and expertise into an array of ground-breaking systems, products and projects. Your contributions will span the design, development, and maintenance of state-of-the-art electro-mechanical stabilization platforms, motion-control systems, camera and lens control systems, video-processing technologies, remote I/O subsystems, and the integration and control of cutting-edge laser technologies.