Avionics Engineer

Swarm Aero

California

On-site

USD 90,000 - 120,000

Full time

3 days ago

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Benefits offered by this job

Equity in a high-growth defense tech

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 engineering team

Job summary

Swarm Aero in Oxnard, CA, is seeking an avionics engineer to own the electrical and electronic systems that make our swarming aircraft fly, including sensors, flight computers, radios, power, and harnesses. You will work closely with the embedded software team on hardware integration, testing on the bench, and readiness for flight tests, while balancing weight, thermal, and maintainability considerations.

We value hands-on builders who can rapidly prototype, test, and iterate, with on-site work

Qualifications

BS in Mechanical, Electrical, Aerospace, or Computer Engineering.
1 to 4 years hands-on experience with aircraft/hardware systems.
Knowledge of schematic reading, harness design, and 3D CAD.
Lab testing with oscilloscopes and power supplies.
Experience with CAN, RS-232/422/485, Ethernet, SPI, and I2C.
Builder’s mindset: prototype, test, iterate.
On-site in Oxnard with testing at off-site locations.
U.S. citizenship required.

Responsibilities

Design, integrate, and test avionics subsystems including flight computers, GPS/INS, air data, datalinks, radios, and payload interfaces
Develop wiring harness designs, connector pinouts, and power distribution architecture, and get them built and installed
Build and run bench test setups and hardware-in-the-loop rigs alongside the embedded software team
Support ground testing, integration testing, and flight test campaigns, from preflight checkouts to post-flight data review
Troubleshoot hardware issues across electrical, mechanical, and software boundaries
Package avionics into the airframe with attention to weight, thermal, vibration, and maintainability
Help define and execute qualification testing for environmental, power quality, and EMI/EMC requirements
Write the documentation that lets the next person build, test, and fix it

Skills

Electrical design

Mechanical design

3D CAD

Schematic reading

Harness design

Oscilloscopes

Soldering

CAN

RS-232/422/485

Ethernet

I2C

Python

MATLAB

Autopilot integration

Education

BS in Mechanical, Electrical, Aerospace, or Computer Engineering

Tools

Altium

Capital

E3.series

SolidWorks Electrical

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.

About the Role

We’re looking for an avionics engineer who is equally comfortable with a multimeter and a CAD model. You’ll own the electrical and electronic systems that make the aircraft fly: sensors, flight computers, radios, power, and the harnesses that tie it all together. You’ll work day to day with our embedded software team, but your focus is the hardware: integrating it, testing it, breaking it on the bench, and getting it ready for the aircraft.

This role is a fit for someone early in their career who has crossed the line between mechanical and electrical engineering, whether that’s an ME who kept ending up in the wiring or an EE who kept ending up in the airframe. If you’ve built and flown something, you’ll feel at home here.

What You’ll Do

Design, integrate, and test avionics subsystems including flight computers, GPS/INS, air data, datalinks, radios, and payload interfaces
Develop wiring harness designs, connector pinouts, and power distribution architecture, and get them built and installed
Build and run bench test setups and hardware-in-the-loop rigs alongside the embedded software team
Support ground testing, integration testing, and flight test campaigns, from preflight checkouts to post-flight data review
Troubleshoot hardware issues across electrical, mechanical, and software boundaries
Package avionics into the airframe with attention to weight, thermal, vibration, and maintainability
Help define and execute qualification testing for environmental, power quality, and EMI/EMC requirements
Write the documentation that lets the next person build, test, and fix it

What You’ll Bring

BS in Mechanical, Electrical, Aerospace, or Computer Engineering
1 to 4 years of hands-on experience with aircraft, UAVs, or comparable hardware systems (including significant student project or competition work)
Working knowledge of both electrical and mechanical design: reading schematics, harness design, and 3D CAD
Comfort in the lab with oscilloscopes, power supplies, logic analyzers, and soldering/crimping tools
Experience with common avionics and embedded interfaces such as CAN, RS-232/422/485, Ethernet, SPI, and I2C
A builder’s mindset: you prototype quickly, test honestly, and iterate
Ability to work on-site in Oxnard and support testing at off-site locations as needed
U.S. citizenship required due to the nature of our work

Nice to Have

Experience on a flight test program, whether at a company, a lab, or a university team (AIAA DBF, SUAS, rocketry, Formula SAE electronics)
Familiarity with MIL-STD-1553, ARINC 429, MIL-STD-704, MIL-STD-461, or DO-160
Harness or PCB design tools such as Altium, Capital, E3.series, or SolidWorks Electrical
Python or MATLAB for test automation and data analysis
Experience with PX4, ArduPilot, or other autopilot integration
Active security clearance or eligibility to obtain one

ITAR requirement

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