Hands-On Mechanical Design Engineer – Flight Hardware

Hop Aero; California; Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Healthcare

Meals & snacks

Mentorship from founders

Job summary

Hop Aero is seeking a hands-on Mechanical Design Engineer to own real flight and ground hardware from concept through test and iteration. You’ll design, fabricate, assemble, break, and fix hardware that flies in harsh environments, splitting time between the office, shop, and test site.

You’ll work with structures, propulsion, and avionics, using Siemens NX and SolidWorks to produce build-ready drawings. The role is highly hands-on with fast iteration and ownership of outcomes.

Qualifications

• Demonstrable experience designing and building real mechanical hardware that was tested in the real world.
• Strong CAD skills and the ability to produce build-ready drawings.
• Solid understanding of manufacturing methods (machining, welding, sheet metal, composites).
• Willingness to spend time in the shop and at test sites as needed.

Responsibilities

• Design and own mechanical hardware for flight vehicles and ground support equipment.
• Take parts from CAD to drawings to fabrication to assembly to test, with full ownership of outcomes.
• Design for manufacturability and rapid iteration in real-world conditions.
• Support test campaigns with on-site troubleshooting and repairs.
• Collaborate with propulsion and test engineers to resolve mechanical issues.
• Perform hand calcs and run FEA simulations.
• Improve internal design, build, and test workflows as the company scales.

Skills

Mechanical design

CAD

Siemens NX

SolidWorks

Hands-on

Tools

Siemens NX

SolidWorks

FEA tools

Job description

Hop Aero is seeking a hands-on Mechanical Design Engineer to own real flight and ground hardware from concept through test and iteration. You’ll design, fabricate, assemble, break, and fix hardware that flies in harsh environments, splitting time between the office, shop, and test site.

You’ll work with structures, propulsion, and avionics, using Siemens NX and SolidWorks to produce build-ready drawings. The role is highly hands-on with fast iteration and ownership of outcomes.