Vehicle Integration Mechanical Engineering Lead

Company Description

Futran is reimagining how people and goods move. We're building podcars that are autonomous, electric vehicles that run on lightweight elevated infrastructure; a category-defining mobility platform that doesn’t fit neatly into “automotive” or “robotics.” It’s both, and then some.

This isn’t another EV. It’s a new mode of transport, engineered from the ground up.

Role Description

This is a senior technical role partnering directly with our VP of Mechanical Engineering to run the engineering floor, own mechanical integration decisions across the POD and drive products from concept to the field.

We need someone who has lived a complete development cycle from a blank sheet of paper, through design reviews, prototyping, validation, production ramp, and into the field where real-world failures teach lessons no textbook can. If you’ve debugged a part that broke in a customer’s hands, traced it back to a design assumption, and closed the loop; you understand what we’re looking for.

This is a hands-on technical leadership role for a mid-career engineer who wants real ownership and the freedom to invent. While the role is rooted in vehicle engineering, candidates from aerospace, defence, robotics, and other deep-tech mechanical backgrounds are equally welcome; strong engineering fundamentals travel well, and frankly, building a POD demands thinking that goes beyond traditional automotive.

What you will do

• Serve as the senior-most hands-on mechanical engineer on the team, partnering closely with the VP of Mechanical Engineering on technical strategy and execution.
• Own end-to-end POD integration ensuring every mechanical subsystem fits, functions, and performs together as one cohesive product.
• Drive mechanical design and development from concept through production and field support, across structure, closures, chassis, drive and guidance systems, thermal, and packaging.
• Apply first-principles engineering: stress, fatigue, kinematics, thermal, vibration, tolerance stack-ups and back every design decision with rigorous hand calculations before it ever sees a CAD screen.
• Architect novel mechanisms and solve integration problems that don’t have textbook answers because most of what we’re building doesn’t have a textbook.
• Lead and mentor the mechanical engineering team, setting the technical bar and the culture of rigour.
• Represent Futran in technical discussions with customers, partners, suppliers, and regulatory bodies translating deep technical detail into clear, confident communication.
• Collaborate closely with electrical, software, manufacturing, and quality teams to deliver integrated, production-ready PODs.
• Drive design reviews, DFMEA, DVP, DFM/DFA, qualification, and field-failure root cause analysis.

What we are looking for

Full-Cycle Experience (Non-Negotiable)

• Has personally taken at least one product through the complete development cycle: concept → design → prototype → validation → production → field deployment → failure analysis and design iteration.
• Has been on the receiving end of a field failure and led the engineering response. This experience matters more to us than years on a CV.

Engineering Depth

• Strong command of mechanical fundamentals; mechanics of materials, machine design, kinematics & dynamics, thermodynamics, GD&T.
• Demonstrated ability to perform and defend hand calculations; CAE/FEA used to validate intuition, not replace it.
• Track record of inventing mechanisms or solving non-obvious mechanical problems; patents, novel architectures, or breakthrough designs are a plus.
• Strong systems thinking; comfortable zooming from a single bracket to the full vehicle and back.

Background

• Automotive experience in vehicle integration, BIW, closures, chassis, powertrain, or full-vehicle programmes is ideal.
• Candidates from aerospace, defence, robotics, or other deep-tech mechanical domains are equally welcome.

Tools & Methods

• Proficiency in CAD: Creo, SolidWorks, CATIA, NX, or equivalent.
• Familiarity with PLM systems (Teamcenter, Windchill, or similar).
• Working knowledge of CAE/FEA tools and design validation methodologies.
• Strong grasp of manufacturing processes — sheet metal, machining, casting, welding, composites, additive and design for manufacturability.

The Person

• Polished, articulate, and credible in front of customers, investors, and external partners.
• A genuine team player who builds trust across functions and seniority levels.
• Bias for action, ownership, and getting hardware out the door.
• Curious, humble and intellectually honest — willing to be proven wrong by the data, especially data from the field.

Education

• B.E. / B.Tech / M.Tech / MS / PhD in Mechanical, Automobile, Aerospace, or related engineering discipline.
• Strong academic record from a top-tier institution (IITs, BITS, NITs, or equivalent global Tier-1 universities) is highly valued.
• For exceptional candidates from top-tier programs, experience requirements can be flexible. We hire for talent and trajectory, not just years on a CV.

Why this role

• A senior leadership seat with real ownership of pod-level mechanical integration; not a slice of someone else’s design.
• A chance to build a vehicle category that doesn’t exist yet, with an engineering team that values rigour and rewards original thinking.
• A clear path to senior leadership for the right person.
• The kind of problem most engineers only get to read about; and you’d get to ship it.