Lead Mechanical Engineer

Location: Cairo, Egypt

We are looking for an experienced Lead Mechanical Engineer to join our growing creative and technical team in Abu Dhabi, working on a major theme park development associated with one of the world’s most recognized entertainment IPs.

The immediate focus will be on design validation and design development for a major animatronics package, engineering the structures, mechanisms and actuation behind a wide range of animated figures, creatures, props, foliage and themed effects, from first mechanism concepts through to fully analyzed, detailed and build-ready designs.

This is an opportunity to lead mechanical designs that will become real physical assets, progressing through mock-ups, fabrication, factory testing, installation and commissioning.

The Role

You will work as part of a small, growing project team, leading the mechanical discipline and collaborating with the Technical Manager, the Creative Director, electrical and controls engineers, BIM specialists and our partner studio as designs develop from concept through to engineering and fabrication.

Your work will range from early kinematic studies, mechanism architecture and actuator selection through to detailed 3D CAD models, calculation packages, and fabrication and assembly drawings. You will size drives, gearboxes, bearings and linkages, carry out and check load, stress and fatigue calculations, and use FEA and motion analysis to demonstrate structural integrity, motion performance and safety factors over a long design life of continuous daily operation.

You will help define how each figure is built, supported and maintained: internal frames and armatures, the interfaces between mechanism, skin, costume and scenic finishes, fixings to the building structure, and quick, safe access for inspection and maintenance in place. You will also contribute to risk assessments and FMEA, support independent third-party verification of safety-critical elements, review supplier and workshop drawings, and guide and check the work of other mechanical engineers and designers.

A key part of the role is understanding how a creative performance translates into real-world mechanics. You should be comfortable turning animation and motion studies into ranges of movement, speeds, accelerations and loads, working within tight space envelopes, clearances and safety limits, and explaining clearly to the wider design and creative team what can be achieved and how. As the project progresses, you will follow your designs through mock-ups, prototype testing, long-duration factory cycle testing, installation and site commissioning.

What We Are Looking For

You should have strong mechanical and mechanism design skills, with experience using 3D CAD software such as SolidWorks, Inventor, or similar, backed by sound hand-calculation fundamentals.

You should be confident across the core mechanical engineering workflow, including concept mechanisms, detailed modeling, load and fatigue calculations, drive and actuator selection, tolerancing, material selection, and preparing and checking fabrication drawings.

Experience with FEA and motion-analysis tools would be valuable. Experience with servo-electric, pneumatic and hydraulic actuation, and with machinery-safety standards and risk assessment, would also be highly desirable, particularly where moving figures operate close to guests and need to interface with scenic, architectural and structural elements.

Particularly relevant experience includes:

• Animatronics, ride systems, stage machinery, robotics or special-purpose machinery
• Compact multi-axis mechanisms with servo or other actuation
• Designing for fatigue life, reliability and maintainability under continuous daily operation
• Overseeing fabrication and suppliers, including welding, machining and assembly quality
• Mock-ups, prototype testing, factory acceptance testing and site commissioning A degree in mechanical or mechatronic engineering, typically with eight or more years of relevant design experience, and examples of delivered work that show both engineering rigor and an understanding of movement will be important.

Why Join Us?

Anuvan is a United States–headquartered company with operations across the US, Egypt, and the UAE, serving a wide range of industrial markets. You will be joining a growing Egypt-based team working on ambitious entertainment and immersive projects.

This role offers the opportunity to contribute directly to a major international theme park project and to see the mechanisms you design develop into real, physical, moving experiences.