Head of Airframe

MightyFly; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401k Plan

In-office meals and snacks

Competitive compensation

Job summary

MightyFly in San Francisco is seeking a Head of Airframe to lead architecture, design, manufacturing, and testing of our next-generation autonomous cargo aircraft. You will own the airframe development from concept through flight, while guiding a small, fast-paced team and collaborating with software, avionics, and aerodynamics groups.

You will drive critical decisions, ensure safety-critical hardware integrity, and partner with the CEO to mature the aircraft into a robust, scalable product

Qualifications

• 10+ years hardware engineering experience.
• Autonomous aircraft design with composites and metals.
• CAD and schematics experience.
• Experience designing safety-critical hardware.

Responsibilities

• Lead and grow the Airframe team.
• Design the next-gen airframe from concept to flight.
• Design aircraft structures, mechanisms, assemblies, and safety-critical hardware.
• Own the airframe development roadmap and milestones.
• Lead aircraft assembly, integration and ground testing.
• Define hardware requirements and support certification documentation.
• Document designs and tests.

Skills

Hardware design 10+ yrs

Autonomous aircraft design

CAD

Aerospace assemblies

Composites & metals

Safety-critical hardware

Technical communication

Planning & delivery

Team leadership

Hiring & recruiting

Job description

The Airframe team designs and builds MightyFly’s autonomous cargo aircraft, advancing the future of logistics. As Head of Airframe, you will lead the architecture, design, development, manufacturing, integration, and testing of our next-generation aircraft. You will own the airframe development from clean-sheet design through manufacturing and flight, while leading the team and maturing the aircraft into a robust, scalable product.

This is a highly technical, hands-on leadership role spanning mechanical and structural design, manufacturing, systems engineering, safety-critical systems, and aircraft integration. You will work closely with our software, avionics, and aerodynamics teams and directly with the CEO to drive key aircraft architecture and development decisions.

Our ideal candidate is self-motivated, technically exceptional, and passionate about aircraft development. You thrive in a small, fast-paced team, enjoy solving challenging multidisciplinary problems, and are excited by the rare opportunity to take a new hybrid eVTOL aircraft from concept to flight.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Lead and grow the Airframe team
• Design and CAD the next gen airframe from clean-sheet concepts through detailed design, manufacturing, assembly, and flight
• Design aircraft structures, mechanisms, assemblies, and safety-critical hardware
• Own the airframe development roadmap and key design, manufacturing, and test milestones
• Lead aircraft assembly, integration and ground testing
• Define and track hardware requirements and support certification documentation
• Document designs and tests

WHAT YOU’LL BRING

• Technical
  • +10 years hardware engineering experience
  • Autonomous aircraft design and development experience, including composites and metallics
  • CAD and schematics experience
  • Experienced designing mechanical assemblies in aerospace
  • Hands-on experience with composites and metallic structures
  • Knowledgeable with both team-wide and individual best practices
  • Experience designing safety critical hardware
• Planning & Partnering
  • Ability to plan and deliver on time
  • Excellent technical communication skills
  • Ability to translate product requirements into technical implementation plans
  • Good judgment on when to say Yes and No! Ship when we need to ship and punt when we can afford to punt
  • A mixture of customer obsession and product vision
  • Organizational skills
• General
  • A can-do attitude for tackling and solving complex problems
  • A passion for building systems from the ground up
  • Be a self-starter with the ability to work and thrive in a dynamic and fast-paced environment
  • Experience in leading a team
  • Experience in recruiting and making hiring decisions
  • Great communication skills
  • Great documentation skills
• Nice to have
  • Experience with high power electric motors and drivetrains
  • Experience with internal combustion engines. Eg. 2-stroke or 4-stroke
  • Familiarity with aviation certification standards & processes
  • Experience with large UAVs or VTOL aircraft

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW

MightyFly is only able to sponsor TN visas and H1B visa transfers for this position at the present time.

Equal opportunity:

MightyFly is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, reproductive health decisions, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, political views or activity, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

Diversity:

MightyFly values diversity and welcomes applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in the tech industry. We are an international team, led by a female CEO.

Job Location:

• Work will be on site.

Culture:

• We are aviation and aerospace enthusiasts who believe the sky is not the limit.
• Teamwork: We believe that to achieve great results we need great teamwork.
• Working hard: Building reliable aviation and logistics products is really hard but also exciting, challenging, and rewarding.
• Having fun: We believe that hard work needs to be coupled with fun. We love hanging out beyond the workday, hosting team dinners, and organizing fun activities. We love the outdoors and outdoor sports. And of course, we love flying.
• Celebrating wins large and small.
• Creativity. We love and encourage creativity. The best ideas emerge when our working environment fosters out-of-the-box thinking.
• Equity, inclusivity, and respect for the diversity of life and work experiences that each individual brings to the team.
• Transparency, honesty, and integrity.
• Competitive health, dental, and vision insurance
• 401k Plan
• Complementary in office meals and snacks

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