Mechanical Engineer

Fastener EngineerGarden Grove, CAHarbinger is an American commercial electric vehicle (EV) company on a mission to transform an industry starving for innovation. Harbinger's best-in-class team of EV, battery, and drivetrain experts have pooled their deep experience to bring a first-of-its-kind EV platform to support the growing demand for medium-duty EVs and Hybrids. Harbinger: Familiar Form, Revolutionary Foundation.Role OverviewAs a Fastener Engineer at Harbinger, you will be the primary technical authority for threaded fasteners, structural joining, and torque-controlled fastening systems across our electric vehicle platforms. You will be responsible for defining, implementing, testing and maintaining fastener standards, ensuring that all safety-critical joints—from suspension to HV battery packs—meet rigorous performance and quality requirements. This role bridges the gap between design engineering, manufacturing and quality, overseeing everything from initial material selection and coating specifications to the validation of DC nutrunner programs and inline process monitoring.Key ResponsibilitiesStandardization & Specification: Author and maintain fastener standards, sizing spreadsheet, defining supplier quality requirements, chemical composition and mechanical properties for bolts, nuts, Huks and shims.Torque Strategy Development: Define tightening strategies, testing bolts and joints to define the properties, validate the tightening including torque-plus-angle and review production torque data.Joining Process Management: Oversee the installation and monitoring of structural fasteners, support the production quality audit and data collection from the production team.Quality & Validation: Lead joint validation testing (torque-to-failure, push-out/pull-out) and establish in-process monitoring criteria like torque/angle signatures and yield point validation.Surface & Coating Optimization: Evaluate coating systems (e.g., Geomet, Zinc-Nickel) for corrosion resistance and friction factor consistency to ensure proper clamp load delivery.Required Skills & ExperienceEducation: Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering (or a related field) + 5 years of relevant experience, OR a Bachelor's degree + 7 years of relevant experience.Fastening Expertise: Minimum 5 years of experience in fastener engineering or assembly joining, with deep knowledge of joint validation and bolt testing.Equipment Proficiency: Experience with DC nutrunners, multi-spindle fixtures, and structural riveting tools, including configuration of closed-loop controllers and MES integration.Technical Standards: Strong understanding of metric (ISO 261/262) and imperial (SAE J429) fastener specifications, including property classes 8.8, 10.9, and 12.9.Materials & Coatings: Proven experience with carbon steel fastener manufacturing and advanced coating systems like Zinc-Nickel and Geomet.Traceability & Data: Ability to manage and interpret complex fastening data, including torque/angle signatures and lot traceability.Travel: Willingness to travel up to 20% domestically for supplier quality audits, assembly plant support, and testing.Preferred QualificationsProcess Verification: Demonstrated success in Factory Acceptance Testing for multi-spindle fixtures and Cpk validation for torque/angle repeatability.Problem Solving: Expert in root cause analysis (8D) for fastening failures, such as cross-threading, strip detection, or collar swage issues.Commercial Acumen: Familiarity with the specific durability and payload requirements, as well as the typical failure modes, of the medium-duty delivery and logistics sector.Key Benefits & Perks: Comprehensive Health, Dental & Vision (HDV) – 100% employee covered Early-stage Stock Options Robust Retirement Savings (401k, HSA, FSA) Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) & Parental Leave Annual Vacation Bonus Wellness & Fertility Benefits Cell Phone Stipend Complimentary Meals & Stocked Kitchens$140,000 - $180,000 USDEqual Opportunity Harbinger is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information or characteristics, physical or mental disability, marital/domestic partner status, age, military/veteran status, medical condition, or any other characteristic protected by law. Harbinger is committed to ensuring that our hiring process is accessible for persons with disabilities. If you have a disability or limitation, such as those covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, that requires accommodations to assist you in the search and application process, please email us at View email address on click.appcast.io.