As a Senior Mechanical Engineer, you'll design advanced drilling rigs, perform simulations and stress analysis, and ensure project delivery from design to production.
Durin was founded under the belief that raw materials should not be a constraint on civilization's progress. We are actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of becoming the foundation of the global supply chain.
WHO WE ARE
Durin builds and operates automated drill rigs to accelerate mineral discovery.
Our modern way of life, from smartphones to skyscrapers, starts as ore in the ground. But mines don't simply appear. In fact, the exploration process required to find valuable ore is incredibly long and expensive. This is done by drilling hundreds of surgical holes into the earth to recover cylindrical core samples.
Mining is a trillion-dollar industry, but the drills used to explore haven't changed in nearly 100 years. Mines are becoming harder to find, which is a danger to the future of civilization. Our mission is to change that. The first step is mass production of automated drilling rigs to find more mines, faster. That is just the beginning. Learn More
BUILDING THE RIG
As a Senior Mechanical Engineer at Durin, you will design and build the world's most advanced drill rigs, redefining mineral exploration as we know it, and uncovering critical subsurface data in hours or days instead of weeks or months. You will have full hardware ownership, taking your projects from initial design requirements and concepts all the way through design, analysis, prototype, qualification, and integration.
Note: You don't need mining or drilling experience to excel in this role.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
- Own the development of next-generation drilling rigs from structure and mechanism design to advanced manufacturing.
- Develop design concepts from a clean sheet with a first principles, physics-based approach.
- Perform simulations, stress analysis, hand calculations, and FEA to ensure the durability and performance of components in unbelievably harsh operational conditions.
- Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to ensure hardware integrates with Durin's electrical, control, and software systems to support necessary mission objectives.
- Be responsible for project delivery timeline from early design through production, rollout, and global operation.
- Exemplify technical excellence and be accountable for your work.
- Optimize mechanical systems for performance, weight, cost, and manufacturability.
- Conduct field visits to understand operational challenges and implement improvements in real-world environments.
- Source, retain, and advise new and experienced vendors from a technical perspective.
WHO YOU ARE
- Experience designing, analyzing, building, and testing high-performance mechanical systems, preferably heavy machinery and/or autonomous systems.
- Proficiency in CAD software (NX, SolidWorks, or similar).
- Proficiency with FEA tools for stress analysis and simulation (e.g., ANSYS, NASTRAN, Abaqus).
- Strong understanding of hydraulic systems, drive mechanisms, and structural design.
- Analytical/scientific programming experience (i.e., Python, Matlab, Excel).
- Knowledge of manufacturing processes, tolerances, and selecting materials for mechanical components.
- Ability to work in a fast-paced and collaborative environment to rapidly prototype and manufacture new products.
- Self-motivated with strong organizational, written, and oral communication skills.
- Have a bias to action, take pride in your work, and care more about getting to the right solution than being right.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
• Must be willing to work from our headquarters in El Segundo
• Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed
Join Durin to build the future of mining. If you're passionate about making a real-world impact and solving complex challenges, we'd love to hear from you.
Durin El Segundo, California, USA Office
601 E El Segundo Blvd, El Segundo, California, United States, 90245
Similar Jobs
Artificial Intelligence • Cloud • Software • Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
Leads the design, deployment, monitoring, and troubleshooting of cooling infrastructure for high-density data centers. Serves as the primary cooling subject matter expert and secondary power expert, establishes facility standards, selects scalable liquid-cooling systems, develops thermal monitoring and alerting capabilities, and partners with colocation, hardware, infrastructure, and operations teams. Manages, hires, mentors, and develops an engineering team while improving reliability and facility readiness for next-generation data center technologies.
Top Skills:
Adiabatic CoolingAlerting SystemsChiller SystemsClosed-Loop Air CoolingCold Aisle ContainmentCooling Distribution Units (Cdus)Cooling InfrastructureDirect Liquid CoolingFacility Cooling LoopsFree-Air CoolingHeat ExchangersHot Aisle ContainmentImmersion CoolingPumpsRear-Door Heat ExchangersThermal Monitoring
Greentech • Robotics • Software • Energy • Solar • Renewable Energy
Designs machines, robots, automated equipment, and mechanical structures from concept through first build and deployment. Responsibilities include developing system requirements, informing product architecture, performing structural and mechanical analyses, overseeing hardware testing, troubleshooting hands-on issues, and managing project schedules. The role supports development of autonomous power-deployment systems in a cross-functional startup environment.
Top Skills:
Automated EquipmentMechanical AnalysisMechanical SystemsPlanning SoftwareRoboticsStructural Analysis
Gaming • Software
Own mechanical hardware systems from requirements through design, manufacturing, testing, integration, production, maintenance, and repair. Responsibilities include subsystem architecture, detailed CAD design, tolerance analysis, design for manufacturability, vendor coordination, test fixture development, instrumentation, data analysis, failure analysis, documentation standards, and hands-on warehouse testing of physical products.
Top Skills:
CadGd&T
What you need to know about the Los Angeles Tech Scene
Los Angeles is a global leader in entertainment, so it’s no surprise that many of the biggest players in streaming, digital media and game development call the city home. But the city boasts plenty of non-entertainment innovation as well, with tech companies spanning verticals like AI, fintech, e-commerce and biotech. With major universities like Caltech, UCLA, USC and the nearby UC Irvine, the city has a steady supply of top-flight tech and engineering talent — not counting the graduates flocking to Los Angeles from across the world to enjoy its beaches, culture and year-round temperate climate.
Key Facts About Los Angeles Tech
- Number of Tech Workers: 375,800; 5.5% of overall workforce (2024 CompTIA survey)
- Major Tech Employers: Snap, Netflix, SpaceX, Disney, Google
- Key Industries: Artificial intelligence, adtech, media, software, game development
- Funding Landscape: $11.6 billion in venture capital funding in 2024 (Pitchbook)
- Notable Investors: Strong Ventures, Fifth Wall, Upfront Ventures, Mucker Capital, Kittyhawk Ventures
- Research Centers and Universities: California Institute of Technology, UCLA, University of Southern California, UC Irvine, Pepperdine, California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, Center for Quantum Science and Engineering
