Mechanica Engineer - Composite Structure

Harmattan AI; Lausanne; Vor Ort; CHF 120.000 - 170.000; Vollzeit

Zusammenfassung

Harmattan AI seeks a Senior Mechanical Engineer – Composite structure to lead UAV composite design, integration, and rapid in-house carbon prototyping. You will own critical design aspects from concept to production, balancing rigidity, mass, cost, and manufacturability while coordinating with R&D for sensor and electronics integration.

The role emphasizes composite materials expertise, carbon structure design, and a strong track record in rapid prototyping and manufacturing readiness for

Qualifikationen

• Master's degree or higher in Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering.
• Proven experience designing and prototyping mechanical systems (UAVs/defence preferred).
• Solid knowledge of composite materials and carbon structure design.
• Hands-on experience with composite fabrication and tooling (layup, vacuum bagging, infusion, prepreg).
• Proficiency in CAD and structural/thermal analysis tools.

Aufgaben

• Design and prototype UAV composite structures and subsystems from scratch.
• Own the composite design 40% of the role: materials, lamination, joints, inserts.
• Design injection-moulded and CNC parts and integrate with composites.
• Manage system constraints: thermal, mass, cost, IP sealing.
• Define tooling/processing strategy for composites emphasizing rapid prototyping.
• Conduct testing and develop tools to validate designs under extreme environments.
• Collaborate with R&D to ensure seamless mechanical integration of sensors and electronics.
• Oversee manufacturing with suppliers to meet quality and schedule targets.
• Maintain comprehensive documentation and act as technical reference for composites.

Kenntnisse

Composite design

Carbon structures

CAD (SolidWorks)

FEA

Manufacturing understanding

In-house carbon prototyping

Ausbildung

Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

FEA tools

Jobbeschreibung

About Us

Harmattan AI is a next-generation defense prime building autonomous and scalable defense systems. Following the close of a $200M Series B, valuing the company at $1.4 billion, we are expanding our teams and capabilities to deliver mission-critical systems to allied forces.

Our work is guided by clear values: building technologies with real-world impact, pursuing excellence in everything we do, setting ambitious goals, and taking on the hardest technical challenges. We operate in a demanding environment where rigor, ownership, and execution are expected.

About the Role

As a Senior Mechanical Engineer – Composite structure on Harmattan AI's Airframe team, you will design UAV structural assemblies in an autonomous, fast-paced environment, with a strong emphasis on composite (carbon) structures alongside injection-moulded and CNC parts. You will take ownership of projects from concept through to production, ensuring the right balance of rigidity, mass, cost and manufacturability, and you will drive fast in-house carbon prototyping as carbon structures become central to our larger platforms (VTOL 2, flying wings).

Technical skills

Responsibilities

• Design and prototype UAV composite structures and complex subsystems from scratch, ensuring the right balance between durability, efficiency, and performance.

• Own the composite structural design (~40 % of the role): material selection, laminate and ply orientation, monolithic vs sandwich trade-offs, bonded and bolted joints, inserts and hard points for load introduction — from concept through to production.

• Design injection-moulded and CNC parts (~50 % of the role) and their integration with the composite structure, applying design-for-manufacturing rules (wall thickness, draft angles, tolerances) from the first concept.

• Take full ownership of system-level constraints, including thermal management, mass budget (weight), COGS (cost), and environmental sealing (IP ratings).

• Define the tooling and process strategy for composite parts — moulds, layup, vacuum bagging, infusion or prepreg, co-curing — favouring fast in-house carbon prototyping at early stages over heavy tooling, then converging towards series processes.

• Conduct rigorous testing, including stress and failure analysis (laminate strength, delamination, inserts pull-out); develop the necessary tools (test benches, coupon campaigns, calculation sheets, or scripts) to validate designs for operation in extreme environments.

• Work closely with R&D teams (Electrical, Software, and Industrialisation) to ensure seamless mechanical integration of sensors, payloads, and electronics.

• Oversee the manufacturing process by collaborating directly with suppliers and external manufacturers, with a focus on composite fabrication, plastic injection moulding and precision machining, to ensure quality and schedule targets are achieved.

• Maintain the "source of truth" through Confluence and professional 2D/3D documentation, including ply books and cure/process logs. Document all designs, test results, and production workflows to support knowledge sharing and continuous improvement.

• Act as a technical reference on composites: mentor junior engineers, review designs, and help establish the team's composite methods and standards.

Candidate Requirements

• Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.

• Proven experience designing and prototyping mechanical systems, ideally within UAVs, robotics, or defence applications.

• Solid knowledge of composite materials and carbon structure design: laminate design and ply orientation, anisotropy, knockdown factors, damage / delamination criteria, bonded joints and metallic inserts / hard points for load introduction.

• Hands-on experience with composite fabrication and tooling — layup, vacuum bagging, infusion and/or prepreg, mould design — with a track record of rapid in-house carbon prototyping (speed of iteration over perfect tooling at early stages).

• Proficiency in CAD software (e.g., SolidWorks); experience with structural and thermal analysis tools (FEA) is a strong advantage — laminate / composite analysis capability is a plus.

• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, including plastic injection moulding, high-precision machining, and series composite processes (infusion, prepreg / OOA, RTM), with the ability to design to a target cost and production rate.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly document complex technical concepts and lead cross‑functional discussions.

• Full commitment to Harmattan AI’s mission, vision, and growth plans, with a willingness to go the extra mile in pursuit of operational excellence.

We look forward to hearing how you can help shape the future of autonomous defense systems at Harmattan AI.