Aerospace R&D Technician

Swarm Aero; Oxnard (CA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Meaningful equity

Competitive base salary

Medical, dental, vision, and 401k

PTO and paid sick leave

Monthly wellness stipend

Daily catered lunch

Paid parental leave

Direct impact on national security

World-class team of engineers

Job summary

Swarm Aero is seeking an Aerospace R&D Technician to advance composite manufacturing processes and build flight-ready components. You’ll work with the engineering team to develop, test, and optimize fabrication methods, contributing to a growing swarming aircraft program that supports national security missions.

The role emphasizes hands-on fabrication, material characterization, and documentation, with opportunities to own undefined problems and deliver repeatable solutions in a fast-moving

Qualifications

• Hands-on fabrication experience in composites or fabrication shop.
• Strong technical communication skills.
• Interest in process development and understanding why a process works, not just following a layup schedule.
• Strong troubleshooting and technical problem-solving skillset.
• Proactive mindset; thrive in ambiguous, fast-moving environments where structure is built, not given.

Responsibilities

• Support development and optimization of composite manufacturing processes, building understanding of material behavior, cure kinetics, and process–structure–property relationships
• Fabricate and test aircraft components and tooling using conventional and novel methods (hand layup, prepreg, bonding, machining support, etc.)
• Assist with material characterization: mechanical testing, process validation, and data capture
• Help author shop procedures, work instructions, and technical documentation
• Work with engineers to investigate failures, qualify new materials, and support first-of-kind processes
• Track material usage, test data, and process build records in structured spreadsheets and databases
• Take ownership of undefined problems and turn them into documented, repeatable solutions

Skills

Hands-on fabrication

Technical communication

Process development

Troubleshooting

Ambiguity tolerance

Tools

CNC machining

Excel

Job description

Swarm Aero is redefining air power, building the largest swarming UAV and the most versatile swarming aircraft network in the world. The company is moving quickly to launch the first aircraft designed specifically for swarming, as well as the Command & Control software to mobilize swarms of thousands of heterogeneous autonomous assets and empower human operators to achieve superhuman results.

The team has created and exited multiple startups, negotiated defense deals worth billions of dollars, and designed and built 30+ novel aircraft, with aerospace experience from Scaled Composites, Airbus, Archer Aviation, Blue Origin, and Boom Supersonic.

As an Aerospace R&D Technician, you'll sit at the intersection of materials science, hands-on fabrication, and aircraft development. You'll work alongside our engineering team to develop, test, and improve composite manufacturing processes.

We're looking for someone who's curious, hands-on, and excited to become an expert in composites.

What You’ll Work On

• Support development and optimization of composite manufacturing processes, building understanding of material behavior, cure kinetics, and process–structure–property relationships
• Fabricate and test aircraft components and tooling using conventional and novel methods (hand layup, prepreg, bonding, machining support, etc.)
• Assist with material characterization: mechanical testing, process validation, and data capture
• Help author shop procedures, work instructions, and technical documentation
• Work with engineers to investigate failures, qualify new materials, and support first-of-kind processes
• Track material usage, test data, and process build records in structured spreadsheets and databases
• Take ownership of undefined problems and turn them into documented, repeatable solutions

What You Bring

• Hands-on fabrication experience (composites, auto body, mechanical, or general fabrication shop, etc)
• Strong technical communication skills
• Real interest in process development and understanding why a process works, not just following a layup schedule
• Strong troubleshooting and technical problem-solving skillset
• Proactive mindset; thrive in ambiguous, fast-moving environments where structure is built, not given

Nice to Have

• 5+ years in a technical/fabrication role
• CNC machining experience
• Strong Excel skills: comfortable building spreadsheets, using formulas, and tracking process/test data
• Experience with material characterization, mechanical testing, or process development in R&D or advanced manufacturing is a strong plus

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Swarm Aero is an equal opportunity employer. We value diverse backgrounds and experiences and make employment decisions without regard to race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, or disability.

What We Offer

• Meaningful equity in a high-growth defense technology company
• Competitive base salary commensurate with experience
• Medical, dental, vision, and 401k
• PTO and paid sick leave
• Monthly wellness stipend
• Daily catered lunch (office)
• Paid parental leave
• Direct impact on a critical national security mission
• A world-class team of engineers and operators solving genuinely hard problems