Chief Electric Motor Engineer

Aska Fly; Palo Alto (CA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

ASKA is seeking an experienced engineering leader to drive the electric propulsion motor program for our drive-and-fly vision. You will translate aircraft duty cycles into motor performance, guide architecture across electromagnetic, mechanical, thermal and controls domains, and mentor engineers through prototype and verification.

Based in the Palo Alto area with potential remote analysis work, you’ll own design-release criteria, run technical reviews with cross-functional teams, and ensure

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical, mechanical or aerospace engineering, or equivalent practical expertise.
• 10+ years in electric-machine development with hardware validation leadership.
• Experience owning an electric-motor development program linking requirements to electromagnetic design and mechanical/thermal performance.
• Experience leading architecture trades, design reviews and risk closure across engineers, suppliers and test teams.
• Ability to establish design-release criteria, justify margins and present evidence-based recommendations.
• Ability to explain technical decisions and collaborate with adjacent systems teams.

Responsibilities

• Translate aircraft duty cycles into motor performance, mass, thermal and reliability requirements.
• Compare motor architectures and document tradeoffs on efficiency, packaging, manufacturability, margins.
• Chair technical reviews and resolve interfaces with inverter, battery, cooling and aircraft integration teams.
• Direct prototype development and define the analysis, dynamometer and endurance evidence for each design release.
• Prioritize technical risks, investigate results and assign corrective actions with clear closure criteria.
• Mentor specialist engineers and communicate design maturity, resource needs and remaining decisions to program leadership.
• Own and improve motor evaluation and validation methods with test specialists, including measurable acceptance criteria and repeatable measurements.

Skills

Electrical engineering expertise

Mechanical engineering expertise

Aerospace engineering expertise

Technical leadership

Requirements tracing

Interface coordination

Test and verification

Mentoring

Problem solving

Documentation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering

Tools

CAD/CAE tools

MATLAB/Simulink

Python

Job description

Build the power behind a new kind of mobility. Lead the electric-motor team turning ASKA’s drive-and-fly vision into propulsion hardware with the performance, efficiency, and reliability demanding missions require.

Lead the engineering of ASKA's electric propulsion motors, connecting aircraft performance needs to hardware that can be built, tested and integrated. You will set technical direction across electromagnetic design, mechanical integrity, thermal management and controls, and guide the team through architecture decisions, prototype development and verification.

Employment Full-time proposed

Location & work arrangement Eagle Field · Palo Alto area / remote for analysis and design to be defined; hands-on integration and test visits to be discussed; availability for occasional testing at Eagle Field Airport required, with advance coordination

Electric-motor architecture, design decisions and motor-team technical delivery.

Key working interfaces

Motor, inverter and battery leads own their components. Hybrid Power owns energy operating modes and integration; Aircraft Systems owns vehicle architecture, requirements and cross-system integration; safety specialists supply assessment findings and constraints.

What you’ll do

• Translate aircraft duty cycles into motor performance, mass, thermal and reliability requirements.
• Compare motor architectures and document the tradeoffs between efficiency, packaging, manufacturability and operating margins.
• Chair technical reviews and resolve interfaces with inverter, battery, cooling and aircraft integration teams.
• Direct prototype development and agree the analysis, dynamometer and endurance evidence needed for each design release.
• Prioritize technical risks, investigate unexpected results and assign corrective actions with clear closure criteria.
• Mentor specialist engineers and communicate design maturity, resource needs and remaining decisions to program leadership.
• Own and continually improve motor evaluation and validation methods with test specialists, including measurable acceptance criteria, repeatable measurements and coverage of assigned requirements; use test discrepancies to strengthen design-release evidence.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical, mechanical or aerospace engineering, or equivalent practical expertise demonstrated through relevant work.
• 10+ years in electric-machine development, including technical leadership of a program through hardware validation.
• Demonstrated ownership of an electric-motor development program, connecting requirements and electromagnetic design to mechanical, thermal and measured performance.
• Experience leading architecture trades, design reviews and technical risk closure across specialist engineers, suppliers and test teams.
• Ability to establish design-release criteria, justify performance margins and present evidence-based recommendations to program leadership.
• Ability to explain technical decisions, keep accurate records and work effectively with the teams responsible for adjacent systems.

Preferred qualifications

Experience leading electric propulsion development for aircraft or similarly demanding vehicles. Familiarity with supplier development, design assurance and transferring new motor designs into controlled manufacturing.

AI tools and automation: Preferred: experience using ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Microsoft 365 Copilot or equivalent tools for technical research, analysis, documentation or reporting. Where relevant, describe use of Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot or equivalent tools for Python/MATLAB scripts, CAD/CAE workflow automation or test-data processing. Provide a specific example, your contribution, any measured time saved or quality improvement, and how you verified the result. Equivalent tools are welcome.

We welcome transferable experience from related industries. You do not need to meet every preferred qualification. Tell us what you have delivered and how your skills apply to this role.

Location & working arrangements

Eagle Field Airport · 11100 W Eagle Ave, Firebaugh, CA 93622

Eagle Field Airport is our primary development and manufacturing location. Palo Alto area or remote arrangements may be considered for engineering work that does not require hands-on access. All current openings require availability to participate in development and flight-testing activities at Eagle Field Airport from time to time, with advance coordination. Flight-test roles require on-site availability for preparation and campaigns. Scheduling and travel arrangements will be discussed for each role.

About ASKA

At ASKA, we are on a mission to build the world’s first AI sensor fusion and digital twin system that manages autonomous driving and autonomous flying in one vehicle. We are bringing ground and air autonomy together to support the warfighter—moving critical supplies, reaching people in need, and reducing exposure in dangerous environments. Our team works across aircraft engineering, intelligent software, electric propulsion, and advanced manufacturing, with development and testing at Eagle Field Airport in California. Bring your expertise. Take ownership. Help build technology that matters.

ASKA welcomes applicants with diverse backgrounds and relevant experience. For questions or application accommodations, message the recruiting team .