Aerospace & Defense OPT Jobs in Arizona

Join Axon and be a Force for Good.

At Axon, we're on a mission to Protect Life. We're explorers, pursuing society's most critical safety and justice issues with our ecosystem of devices and cloud software. Like our products, we work better together. We connect with candor and care, seeking out diverse perspectives from our customers, communities and each other.

Life at Axon is fast-paced, challenging and meaningful. Here, you'll take ownership and drive real change. Constantly grow as you work hard for a mission that matters at a company where you matter.

Your Impact

As a Mechanical Engineer II on Axon's New Ventures team, you will design, build, and iterate on mechanical systems that support early-stage exploration and small-batch hardware products. You'll apply strong mechanical engineering fundamentals and practical design-for-manufacturability judgment to rapidly prototype, test, and learn — helping the team assess feasibility, production risk, and real-world behavior of new product concepts.

This role is ideal for an engineer who enjoys hands-on work, thrives in ambiguity, and knows how to balance prototype speed with manufacturable design choices when a concept may move toward small-batch production.

You will help ensure that promising concepts are not only compelling as prototypes, but also grounded in realistic mechanical design, assembly, supplier, and manufacturing considerations.

What You'll Do

Location: This role may be based out of one of Axon's hub offices in Scottsdale, AZ or Seattle, WA, and follows a hybrid schedule. We rely on in-person collaboration and ask that team members work onsite Tuesday through Friday, with flexibility to work remotely on Mondays, unless there is an approved workplace accommodation.

Reports to: Senior Director of New Ventures

Direct Reports: None

You will:

• Independently design and develop mechanical components, assemblies, fixtures, mechanisms, and enclosures for exploratory prototypes and small-batch hardware products.
• Create CAD models, drawings, prototype files, and mechanical documentation that support both rapid iteration and clear handoff to fabrication or manufacturing partners.
• Select materials, manufacturing methods, finishes, fastening strategies, and assembly approaches that balance speed, cost, durability, manufacturability, and learning goals.
• Apply design-for-manufacturability and design-for-assembly principles early, especially for concepts that may transition from prototype to low-volume or small-batch production.
• Build, assemble, test, and troubleshoot physical prototypes using hands-on fabrication methods and external prototype vendors when appropriate.
• Collaborate with manufacturing, DFM, supply chain, electrical, software, industrial design, product, and applied research partners to identify production risks and practical design tradeoffs.
• Identify and resolve mechanical design challenges at the component, subsystem, and assembly level with minimal supervision.
• Support rapid Build-Measure-Learn cycles by prioritizing speed, learning, and clarity while avoiding design choices that create unnecessary manufacturing or assembly risk.
• Contribute mechanical engineering input to feasibility assessments, early risk identification, cost and manufacturability tradeoffs, and potential transition paths into New Ventures Edge or other product teams.
• Document design decisions, tolerance assumptions, material choices, supplier/vendor inputs, test results, prototype learnings, and open manufacturing risks to support team decision-making and future iterations.

What You Bring

You bring a blend of solid mechanical fundamentals, hands-on experience, and a collaborative mindset. You likely have:

• A Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 3+ years of relevant experience in mechanical engineering, product design, prototyping, hardware development, or low-volume manufacturing.
• Proficiency with CAD tools and experience creating parts, assemblies, drawings, tolerance-critical features, and prototype- or manufacturing-ready files.
• Hands-on experience building, assembling, testing, and iterating mechanical prototypes.
• Practical understanding of mechanical design fundamentals such as tolerances, material selection, fastening methods, mechanisms, structural considerations, thermal considerations, sealing, ruggedization, and assembly design.
• Experience applying design-for-manufacturability and design-for-assembly principles to real hardware, ideally including parts or assemblies that moved from prototype toward low-volume or production manufacturing.
• Familiarity with common manufacturing and prototyping processes such as 3D printing, CNC machining, sheet metal, casting, injection molding, elastomers, adhesives, coatings, off-the-shelf hardware, or vendor-built prototypes.
• Ability to evaluate tradeoffs between prototype speed, manufacturability, part cost, tooling cost, assembly complexity, reliability, and product performance.
• Comfort integrating mechanical designs with electronics, sensors, actuators, batteries, cameras, embedded systems, or other electromechanical components.
• Comfort working in ambiguous, early-stage environments with evolving requirements.
• A collaborative mindset aligned with Axon's values and mission to Protect Life.

Benefits that Benefit You

• Competitive salary and 401k with employer match
• Discretionary paid time off
• Paid parental leave for all
• Medical, Dental, Vision plans
• Fitness Programs
• Emotional & Mental Wellness support
• Learning & Development programs
• Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)
• And yes, we have snacks in our offices

Benefits listed herein may vary depending on the nature of your employment and the location where you work.

Don't meet every single requirement? That's ok. At Axon, we Aim Far. We think big with a long-term view because we want to reinvent the world to be a safer, better place. We are also committed to building diverse teams that reflect the communities we serve.

Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they check every box in the job description. If you're excited about this role and our mission to Protect Life but your experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification listed here, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Important Notes

The above job description is not intended as, nor should it be construed as, exhaustive of all duties, responsibilities, skills, efforts, or working conditions associated with this job. The job description may change or be supplemented at any time in accordance with business needs and conditions.

Some roles may also require legal eligibility to work in a firearms environment.

We collect personal information from applicants to evaluate candidates for employment. You may request access, deletion, or exercise other CCPA rights at axongreenhousesupport@axon.com or via our Axon Privacy Web Form. For more information, please see the Your California Privacy Rights section of our Applicant and Candidate Privacy Notice.

Axon's mission is to Protect Life and is committed to the well-being and safety of its employees as well as Axon's impact on the environment. All Axon employees must be aware of and committed to the appropriate environmental, health, and safety regulations, policies, and procedures. Axon employees are empowered to report safety concerns as they arise and activities potentially impacting the environment.

We are an equal opportunity employer that promotes justice, advances equity, values diversity and fosters inclusion. We're committed to hiring the best talent — regardless of race, creed, color, ancestry, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, marital status, disability, gender identity, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances — and empowering all of our employees so they can do their best work. If you have a disability or special need that requires assistance or accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please email recruitingops@axon.com. Please note that this email address is for accommodation purposes only. Axon will not respond to inquiries for other purposes.

Phishing alert: Axon will never ask you to pay for any part of the hiring process, including training, equipment, or background checks. We do not make job offers via text message, WhatsApp, or instant messaging platforms without a formal interview process. All legitimate job openings are listed on our official careers page. If you receive a suspicious offer or outreach from an email address that is not @axon.com, or if you are asked for sensitive personal information (bank details, Social Security Number) prematurely, please ignore the message and report it to recruitingops@axon.com.