Composite Engineering (M&P) Intern (Summer 2027)

Swarm Aero; Oxnard (CA); On-site; USD 28,000 - 44,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Meaningful equity

Competitive salary

Benefits package

Paid time off

Wellness stipend

Catered lunch

Parental leave

Job summary

Swarm Aero is seeking a summer intern to work on composite materials, bonding, cure cycles, and data analysis. You will collaborate with engineers to plan tests, document results, and present findings at the end of the program.

The role emphasizes hands-on learning in a fast-paced defense-tech environment, with mentorship from experienced engineers and access to state-of-the-art fabrication facilities, safety training, and professional development opportunities.

Qualifications

• Pursuing a degree in a relevant engineering field with lab or project experience.
• Experience with materials, composites, polymers, or manufacturing is a plus.
• Ability to work safely in a lab and manufacturing environment.

Responsibilities

• Assist composite fabrication, tooling, bonding, cure, trimming, finishing, and inspection.
• Plan material characterization, coupon testing, and data analysis.
• Study cure cycles, resin systems, fiber architecture, and process-structure relationships.
• Investigate manufacturing problems and document root causes.

Skills

Materials Science

Mechanical Engineering

Aerospace Engineering

Chemical Engineering

Python

MATLAB

Data analysis

Education

Bachelors or pursuing in Materials Science/Mechanical/Aerospace/Chemical Engineering

Tools

Python

MATLAB

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.

READ THIS PART FIRST

Composite aircraft are built at the intersection of material behavior and disciplined process. You will work in both places: learning why a material behaves the way it does and helping turn that knowledge into parts the team can build repeatedly.

WHAT WE DO

Swarm Aero is redefining air power. We are building autonomous aircraft and Legion, command and control software designed to coordinate large numbers of heterogeneous autonomous systems. Our team combines experience building novel aircraft, scaling startups, and delivering technology for national security.

THE INTERNSHIP

You will own a scoped project with a clear technical or business outcome, work directly with the people responsible for the system, and present what you built and learned at the end of the summer. The goal is not to give you practice work. It is to give you useful work with the support to do it well.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

· Support composite fabrication, tooling, bonding, cure, trimming, finishing, and inspection activities

· Plan or execute material characterization, coupon testing, process trials, and data analysis

· Study cure cycles, resin systems, fiber architecture, defects, joints, or process-structure-property relationships

· Investigate manufacturing problems and help document root causes and corrective actions

· Create work instructions, test reports, process specifications, or other technical documentation

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

· Currently pursuing a degree in Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a closely related field, with graduation and enrollment requirements to be confirmed.

· Coursework or project experience in materials, composites, polymers, manufacturing, mechanics, or laboratory methods

· Comfort working safely in a lab and on a manufacturing floor

· A hands‑on project, research effort, shop role, or team where you made and tested physical parts

WHAT SETS YOU APART

· Prepreg, infusion, out-of-autoclave processing, adhesives, or bonded joints

· Mechanical testing, microscopy, NDI, statistical analysis, or DOE

· CAD, tooling, machining, metrology, Python, MATLAB, or data‑analysis experience

WHAT YOU DO NOT NEED

Aerospace experience, a perfect GPA, or a previous internship at a famous company. Show us what you have built, analyzed, tested, organized, or improved, and be ready to explain your contribution clearly.

THE HONEST VERSION

The pace is fast, the problems will not arrive fully defined, and you may spend part of the summer learning why your first approach was wrong. We will expect you to ask questions, test your assumptions, document your work, and leave the project better than you found it.

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

• 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