Senior Mechanical Engineer

Lyten•Indianapolis, IN

About The Position

Lyten Motorsports is seeking an innovative Senior Mechanical Engineer to lead lightweighting initiatives involving carbon fiber composites and additive manufacturing. The role leads clean-sheet carbon fiber development and the design, prototyping, and validation of legacy metal vehicle components redesigned as carbon structures. It also leads design efforts for in-house 3D-printing capabilities. Composite and additive manufacturing operations are co-located at the Indianapolis facility, enabling rapid collaboration and iteration with the technicians who build the parts. The ideal candidate has strong design-for-manufacturability expertise in composites and 3D printing and a passion for high-performance motorsports engineering. The position covers composite component and tooling design, additive-manufactured parts and production aids, engineering documentation, structural analysis, and prototype validation. The engineer works closely with manufacturing teams to ensure designs can be made effectively and to resolve production challenges. The expected base salary range is $115,400 to $173,200. The position is eligible for a tier-based bonus and equity, healthcare, dental and vision coverage, corporate discounts, paid holidays, PTO and sick time, a 401(k), and an employee relocation plan if applicable. The role requires access to export-controlled technology and information; employment is conditional on required government authorization.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related technical discipline and at least 5 years of mechanical design experience focused on advanced composites and additive manufacturing; or a master’s degree in one of these fields and at least 3 years of related experience.
Advanced proficiency in 3D CAD software such as CATIA, Siemens NX, or SolidWorks.
Experience with design for manufacturability for composite layup and 3D printing.
Strong understanding of composite mechanics, metal-to-composite joint design using bonding or fastening, and material properties.
Solid foundation in geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T).
Ability to iterate rapidly from digital design to physical parts in a fast-paced environment.

Nice To Haves

Direct engineering experience in motorsports, such as IndyCar, IMSA, NASCAR, or Formula 1.
Experience with composite-specific design software such as Fibersim or CPD.
Familiarity with topology optimization software such as Altair Inspire or nTop.
Hands-on experience operating industrial 3D printers or working on a composites shop floor.

Responsibilities

Lead clean-sheet carbon fiber development projects from initial concept through production.
Identify motorsports metal components that can be replaced with composite structures to reduce weight while maintaining structural integrity.
Design composite parts, including ply schedules, laminate orientations, core materials, and bonded joints.
Develop surface models and tooling designs, including molds and trim jigs, for carbon fiber layup.
Design end-use parts, manufacturing aids, jigs, and fixtures for in-house additive manufacturing.
Apply topology optimization and generative design principles to improve the strength-to-weight ratio of 3D-printed components.
Select appropriate additive manufacturing technologies and materials for engineering applications.
Collaborate with the composite shop floor to improve manufacturability and troubleshoot layup or demolding challenges.
Create engineering drawings, ply-books, and manufacturing work instructions for composite and additive teams.
Perform structural analysis and finite element analysis on composite and 3D-printed parts to assess stiffness, load paths, and failure modes.
Support physical testing and validation of prototype components and correlate results with analytical models.