Aeronautical Engineering Team Lead

Mako Aero; Inner West; On-site; AUD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

MAKO is seeking an Aeronautical Engineering Team Lead to drive Flightfilm’s design and development to certification. You will own complex programs from planning to execution and lead a cross‑functional team that delivers measurable climate impact.

You will report to the Head of Product Engineering and collaborate with Certification, Materials, Verification & Validation, Manufacturing, and Quality groups to ensure the best possible product.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field and cross‑disciplinary leadership experience.
• Experience in highly technical, regulated environments such as aerospace.
• Proven track record leading complex design and development programs.
• Strong understanding of fluid mechanics and CFD.
• Ability to mentor and guide engineers in a fast-moving startup.

Responsibilities

• Lead and grow a world-class engineering team that designs and develops Flightfilm.
• Own the aerodynamic design and development strategy end to end for Flightfilm.
• Ensure work aligns with MAKO’s goals, certification roadmap, and priorities.
• Set standards for design, systems engineering, risk management, and configuration control.
• Mentor engineers and raise capabilities in simulation, design, and evidence-based decisions.

Skills

Leadership

CFD

Aerospace Engineering

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering or Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Simulation software

Job description

Lead the engineering behind a product that’s changing how the world flies.

MAKO is an aerospace technology company focused on improving the efficiency of the global aviation fleet by bringing our shark-skin-inspired drag reduction product, Flightfilm, to commercial and defense aircraft. Flightfilm can deliver up to 4% efficiency gains, reducing carbon emissions by millions of tonnes every year. Founded and headquartered in Sydney, Australia, MAKO works with some of the largest airlines and aircraft manufacturers worldwide to deliver scalable, near-term efficiency gains for aviation that bridge the gap between today's operating fleets and the next generation of aircraft technologies.

We’re looking for an Aeronautical Engineering Team Lead to take Flightfilm’s design and development to the next level. You’ll own complex engineering programs from planning through execution and evaluation, and lead the team that makes it happen.

Reporting to our Head of Product Engineering, you’ll work hand in hand with our Certification, Materials, Verification & Validation, Manufacturing, and Quality teams. Together you’ll make sure we are building the best product possible. This is a rare chance to put your engineering leadership into something with real, measurable climate impact.

Lead the engineering behind a product that’s changing how the world flies.

MAKO is an aerospace technology company focused on improving the efficiency of the global aviation fleet by bringing our shark-skin-inspired drag reduction product, Flightfilm, to commercial and defense aircraft. Flightfilm can deliver up to 4% efficiency gains, reducing carbon emissions by millions of tonnes every year. Founded and headquartered in Sydney, Australia, MAKO works with some of the largest airlines and aircraft manufacturers worldwide to deliver scalable, near-term efficiency gains for aviation that bridge the gap between today's operating fleets and the next generation of aircraft technologies.

We’re looking for an Aeronautical Engineering Team Lead to take Flightfilm’s design and development to the next level. You’ll own complex engineering programs from planning through execution and evaluation, and lead the team that makes it happen.

Reporting to our Head of Product Engineering, you’ll work hand in hand with our Certification, Materials, Verification & Validation, Manufacturing, and Quality teams. Together you’ll make sure we are building the best product possible. This is a rare chance to put your engineering leadership into something with real, measurable climate impact.

What you’ll do

• Lead and grow a world-class engineering team that designs and develops Flightfilm

• Own the aerodynamic design and development strategy end to end. That covers Flightfilm itself, from the riblet microstructures down to the layout design and how the film is laid out on aircraft and installed

• Keep the team pointed in the right direction, so its work aligns with MAKO’s technical goals, certification roadmap, and business priorities

• Set the standards for how we design. That includes processes and documentation across systems and requirements engineering, risk management, product architecture, and configuration control

• Keep raising the bar. You’ll find ways to improve how we work and bring best practice to simulation, design, testing and evaluation

• Grow the people around you. You’ll mentor engineers and strengthen the team's skills in simulation, design, and evidence-based decision-making

Your first month

• Get under the hood of Flightfilm. Learn our product architecture, how our materials behave, how Flightfilm is installed and removed, and where each of our current design programs stand

• Review how we work today, including our design and simulation procedures, documentation, reports, risk registers, and evaluation methods

• Build strong working relationships with our Certification, Materials, Verification & Validation, and Manufacturing teams

Your first six months

• Lead the team through the key design programs that will take MAKO’s first product to certification and regulatory approval

• Sharpen how we design. That means improving our simulation and design methods, systems engineering processes, templates, and risk-based planning

• Bring more confidence, efficiency and clarity to how we run and report on testing

Your first year

• Grow your team’s capability, with development plans that target the skills we need most

• Set MAKO-wide best practice for aero design, systems engineering, simulation, and risk management

• Shape MAKO’s longer-term aeronautical design and development strategy

About you

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering or similar

• Track record leading cross-disciplinary teams in highly technical, highly regulated fields such as aerospace, medical or automotive

• Demonstrated experience designing and leading complex product design & development programs

• Strong understanding of fluid mechanics principles and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)

• Thrive in a fast-moving, ambiguous and constantly evolving startup environment

• You enjoy mentoring junior and senior engineers and leading them to make evidence based technical decisions with confidence and clarity

Why you should join MAKO

• Impact: Aviation is one of the hardest to abate industries, and its share of global emissions is only growing. Join our mission to improve the efficiency of the global fleet and save millions of tonnes of CO2 every year

• Technology: Our technology leverages the drag-reducing properties of shark skin to make aircraft more efficient. You’ll be exposed to expertise and developments in materials, photolithography, fluid dynamics, and scale manufacturing

• Team: Our team focuses on achieving our mission. We live our values of lift over drag, active transparency, and changing the boundary conditions, and we welcome new team members who want to do the same

• Corporate Jet: We have (most of) a corporate jet. It won’t fly, but it sure does look cool

MAKO is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from every background.