Senior Level Sustaining Engineer Jobs
Senior level sustaining engineer jobs place experienced engineers in ownership of product reliability, failure investigation strategy, and the cross-functional initiatives that keep manufacturing and product lines running at scale. Openings are concentrated across on-site and hybrid settings in Consulting & Professional Services, Retail, and Aerospace & Defense, with employers like Axon, Form Energy, and Kymeta hiring at this level now.
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Senior Sustaining Engineer
About Kymeta
Kymeta delivers intelligent, resilient communications and RF solutions for mission-critical operations around the world. Our software-defined, electronically steered platforms combine advanced antenna technology, multi-orbit and multi-network connectivity, and edge capabilities to help customers stay connected and informed in dynamic and demanding environments.
What We Need
Kymeta is seeking a Senior Sustaining Engineer with a strong mechanical engineering background to lead cross functional sustaining programs for products in production. This role is responsible for owning product changes from problem definition and technical evaluation through design release, validation, production implementation, and closure.
The ideal candidate is a hands-on mechanical engineer and cross-functional technical leader who can independently resolve product and manufacturing issues, coordinate derivative and continuous-improvement efforts, and ensure changes are accurately controlled through product lifecycle management (PLM) and engineering change processes. This role partners closely with Design Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Test Engineering, Service, and suppliers to improve product quality, reliability, manufacturability, cost, and continuity of supply.
KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Lead cross-functional sustaining engineering programs for released products, including issue prioritization, technical planning, risk management, execution, and stakeholder communication.
Own mechanical sustaining activities from root-cause investigation through design update, verification, release, and manufacturing implementation.
Develop and release mechanical designs, drawings, specifications, bills of material, and supporting technical documentation with limited oversight.
Drive engineering change requests and engineering change orders through review, approval, release, implementation, and effectiveness verification.
Lead cross-functional change-impact assessments covering form, fit, function, interchangeability, regulatory requirements, inventory, suppliers, tooling, work instructions, inspection, test, service, cost, and schedule.
Plan and coordinate production cut-in of approved changes, including material disposition, supplier readiness, tooling updates, work-instruction revisions, technician training, first-build support, and validation of implementation.
Apply mechanical engineering fundamentals, GD&T, tolerance analysis, material selection, fastener design, sealing, thermal management, and electromechanical packaging to sustaining problems.
Develop verification and validation plans that demonstrate changes meet technical requirements without creating unintended product or process risk.
Coordinate with suppliers and contract manufacturers to assess feasibility, implement changes, resolve technical issues, and maintain production continuity.
Use production, quality, test, and field data to identify recurring issues and prioritize product and process improvements.
Maintain clear program status, decision records, action tracking, and change documentation for technical and business stakeholders.
SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
7+ years of mechanical design, sustaining engineering, manufacturing engineering, or product engineering experience in aerospace, telecommunications, electronics, defense, or another complex hardware environment.
Demonstrated experience leading sustaining or continuous-improvement programs for electromechanical products already in production.
Strong mechanical design capability, including proficiency with 3D CAD (Solidworks preferred), engineering drawings, GD&T, tolerance stack-up, material selection, and design documentation.
Hands-on experience diagnosing and resolving mechanical, electromechanical, manufacturing, supplier, or field-performance issues.
Working knowledge of PLM systems and formal configuration and change-control processes, including ECRs, ECOs, BOMs, revisions, effectivity, and document release.
Experience implementing engineering changes in manufacturing, including cut-in planning, inventory disposition, supplier coordination, tooling and documentation updates, training, build support, and effectiveness verification.
Ability to lead cross-functional teams, establish ownership, manage dependencies, communicate risk, and drive issues to closure.
Ability to balance technical rigor, production urgency, cost, schedule, and product risk when making sustaining decisions.
Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
NICE TO HAVE
Experience sustaining phased-array antennas, SATCOM products, RF assemblies, aerospace electronics, or other high-reliability electromechanical systems.
Experience with configuration management, product variants, derivative-product releases, and end-of-life or obsolescence-driven redesigns.
Experience developing verification plans and using statistical methods, tolerance analysis, or Design of Experiments (DOE) to understand interactions between mechanical design, assembly variation, and product performance.
Familiarity with ERP, MES, quality-management, and issue-tracking systems used alongside PLM.
EDUCATION
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline required.
COMPENSATION
Kymeta is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. In the spirit of pay transparency, we have determined the salary range for this position to be $150,000 - $180,000. This is the full base salary range for the role. Hiring at the maximum of the range would be atypical, in order to allow for future and continued salary growth. Compensation packages are based on a variety of factors unique to each candidate, including but not limited to: skill set, years and depth of experience, certifications, and geography. The total compensation package for this position includes an annual target bonus of 10%, stock options, and benefits listed below. We believe in the importance of pay equity and consider internal equity of our current team members as a part of any final offer.
BENEFITS
We offer a competitive benefits package which includes:
Medical Plans: A choice between two competitive options
Flexible Spending & Health Savings Accounts
Vision & Dental
Life/AD&D
Employee Assistance Program
401k
Paid Time Off
Exempt employees: Flexible PTO and 12 paid holidays per year
Nonexempt employees: 15 vacation days, 7 sick days and 12 paid holidays per year
Kymeta is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations, and ordinances.
Senior Sustaining Engineer
About Kymeta
Kymeta delivers intelligent, resilient communications and RF solutions for mission-critical operations around the world. Our software-defined, electronically steered platforms combine advanced antenna technology, multi-orbit and multi-network connectivity, and edge capabilities to help customers stay connected and informed in dynamic and demanding environments.
What We Need
Kymeta is seeking a Senior Sustaining Engineer with a strong mechanical engineering background to lead cross functional sustaining programs for products in production. This role is responsible for owning product changes from problem definition and technical evaluation through design release, validation, production implementation, and closure.
The ideal candidate is a hands-on mechanical engineer and cross-functional technical leader who can independently resolve product and manufacturing issues, coordinate derivative and continuous-improvement efforts, and ensure changes are accurately controlled through product lifecycle management (PLM) and engineering change processes. This role partners closely with Design Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Test Engineering, Service, and suppliers to improve product quality, reliability, manufacturability, cost, and continuity of supply.
KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Lead cross-functional sustaining engineering programs for released products, including issue prioritization, technical planning, risk management, execution, and stakeholder communication.
Own mechanical sustaining activities from root-cause investigation through design update, verification, release, and manufacturing implementation.
Develop and release mechanical designs, drawings, specifications, bills of material, and supporting technical documentation with limited oversight.
Drive engineering change requests and engineering change orders through review, approval, release, implementation, and effectiveness verification.
Lead cross-functional change-impact assessments covering form, fit, function, interchangeability, regulatory requirements, inventory, suppliers, tooling, work instructions, inspection, test, service, cost, and schedule.
Plan and coordinate production cut-in of approved changes, including material disposition, supplier readiness, tooling updates, work-instruction revisions, technician training, first-build support, and validation of implementation.
Apply mechanical engineering fundamentals, GD&T, tolerance analysis, material selection, fastener design, sealing, thermal management, and electromechanical packaging to sustaining problems.
Develop verification and validation plans that demonstrate changes meet technical requirements without creating unintended product or process risk.
Coordinate with suppliers and contract manufacturers to assess feasibility, implement changes, resolve technical issues, and maintain production continuity.
Use production, quality, test, and field data to identify recurring issues and prioritize product and process improvements.
Maintain clear program status, decision records, action tracking, and change documentation for technical and business stakeholders.
SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
7+ years of mechanical design, sustaining engineering, manufacturing engineering, or product engineering experience in aerospace, telecommunications, electronics, defense, or another complex hardware environment.
Demonstrated experience leading sustaining or continuous-improvement programs for electromechanical products already in production.
Strong mechanical design capability, including proficiency with 3D CAD (Solidworks preferred), engineering drawings, GD&T, tolerance stack-up, material selection, and design documentation.
Hands-on experience diagnosing and resolving mechanical, electromechanical, manufacturing, supplier, or field-performance issues.
Working knowledge of PLM systems and formal configuration and change-control processes, including ECRs, ECOs, BOMs, revisions, effectivity, and document release.
Experience implementing engineering changes in manufacturing, including cut-in planning, inventory disposition, supplier coordination, tooling and documentation updates, training, build support, and effectiveness verification.
Ability to lead cross-functional teams, establish ownership, manage dependencies, communicate risk, and drive issues to closure.
Ability to balance technical rigor, production urgency, cost, schedule, and product risk when making sustaining decisions.
Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
NICE TO HAVE
Experience sustaining phased-array antennas, SATCOM products, RF assemblies, aerospace electronics, or other high-reliability electromechanical systems.
Experience with configuration management, product variants, derivative-product releases, and end-of-life or obsolescence-driven redesigns.
Experience developing verification plans and using statistical methods, tolerance analysis, or Design of Experiments (DOE) to understand interactions between mechanical design, assembly variation, and product performance.
Familiarity with ERP, MES, quality-management, and issue-tracking systems used alongside PLM.
EDUCATION
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline required.
COMPENSATION
Kymeta is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. In the spirit of pay transparency, we have determined the salary range for this position to be $150,000 - $180,000. This is the full base salary range for the role. Hiring at the maximum of the range would be atypical, in order to allow for future and continued salary growth. Compensation packages are based on a variety of factors unique to each candidate, including but not limited to: skill set, years and depth of experience, certifications, and geography. The total compensation package for this position includes an annual target bonus of 10%, stock options, and benefits listed below. We believe in the importance of pay equity and consider internal equity of our current team members as a part of any final offer.
BENEFITS
We offer a competitive benefits package which includes:
Medical Plans: A choice between two competitive options
Flexible Spending & Health Savings Accounts
Vision & Dental
Life/AD&D
Employee Assistance Program
401k
Paid Time Off
Exempt employees: Flexible PTO and 12 paid holidays per year
Nonexempt employees: 15 vacation days, 7 sick days and 12 paid holidays per year
Kymeta is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations, and ordinances.
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Senior Level Sustaining Engineer Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a senior level sustaining engineer job?
Employers at this level look for engineers who can own complex failure investigations end to end, drive corrective action across engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain, and mentor junior team members without being asked. What gives candidates an edge is a demonstrated history of leading cross-functional projects, reducing field escapes or yield losses, and influencing product design decisions early in the development cycle.
Which companies hire senior level sustaining engineers?
Companies hiring senior level sustaining engineers right now include Axon, Form Energy, and Kymeta, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Hiring at this level tends to concentrate in established manufacturers, medical device firms, semiconductor companies, and defense contractors where product reliability and regulatory compliance create sustained demand for deep sustaining engineering expertise.
Are there remote senior level sustaining engineer jobs?
Yes, though most senior sustaining roles require at least some on-site presence given the hands-on nature of the work. About 50% of senior level sustaining engineer openings are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, with hybrid arrangements most common in companies where lab access, manufacturing floors, or quality systems require periodic in-person involvement.
What makes a sustaining engineer role senior level?
Senior level sustaining engineer roles are defined by scope, autonomy, and leadership responsibility. Where a mid-level engineer executes investigations and resolves individual issues, a senior engineer sets the technical approach, owns outcomes across product families or platforms, and leads efforts that involve cross-functional teams. Mentoring junior engineers and influencing engineering standards or design practices are also expected at this level.
Which industries hire the most senior level sustaining engineers?
Senior Level sustaining engineer roles concentrate in Consulting & Professional Services, Retail, and Aerospace & Defense, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. These sectors rely heavily on sustaining engineering at the senior level because they operate under strict regulatory requirements, long product lifecycles, and high costs associated with field failures or production downtime.