Lead Structures Design Engineer

Swarm Aero; Oxnard (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Competitive base salary

Medical, dental, vision

PTO and sick leave

Wellness stipend

Daily catered lunch

Parental leave

Impactful national security mission

World-class engineering team

Job summary

Swarm Aero is seeking a Lead Structures Engineer to own the largest airframe sections, including wing boxes, fuselage, and empennage. You will define architecture for large composite parts, set joints and load paths, and lead other structures engineers to first flight.

The role is hands-on and design-focused, requiring close collaboration with manufacturing and program leadership to balance weight, cost, and producibility while delivering milestones for a high-velocity defense-oriented program.

Qualifications

• BS or MS in Mechanical, Aerospace, or related engineering field.
• 8+ years designing aircraft structure with ownership of large composite primary structure such as wings or empennage.
• Deep knowledge of composite design and manufacturing at scale, including laminate design and bonded joints.
• Experience leading engineers through full development cycle from concept to flight.
• Proficiency in CAD and GD&T with high standards for large assemblies.
• Hands-on mindset with shop-floor engagement and data-driven decision making.

Responsibilities

• Own the design of major airframe structure: wing box, fuselage sections, empennage, and large bonded assemblies.
• Define the structural architecture for large composite parts, including laminate strategy, core usage, joint philosophy, and load paths.
• Lead and mentor a team of structures design engineers, setting standards for models, drawings, and design reviews.
• Drive trades on part count, tooling approach, and assembly sequence with manufacturing and program leadership.
• Solve problems on large parts: dimensional control, thermal growth, fixturing, and transport constraints.
• Collaborate daily with stress, M&P, and composites manufacturing to close margins and keep the build moving.
• Own design maturity through PDR, CDR, first article, structural test, and first flight.

Skills

Aircraft structural design

Composite structures

CAD

Leadership

GD&T

DFM/DFMA

Education

BS/MS in Mechanical/Aerospace engineering

Tools

NX

CATIA

SolidWorks

Nastran

Abaqus

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 This Role

We are looking for a lead engineer to own the largest structures on the aircraft. This is the person responsible for major airframe sections: wing, fuselage, and empennage. You will set the design approach for large composite primary structure, make the calls on architecture and joints, and lead other structures engineers to first flight.

This is a hands-on technical leadership role. You will spend most of your time designing and reviewing structure, not managing. You will also be the senior voice in trades between weight, cost, schedule, and producibility on parts that are measured in meters, not inches.

What You Will Do

• Own the design of major airframe structure: wing box, fuselage sections, empennage, and large bonded assemblies
• Define the structural architecture for large composite parts, including laminate strategy, core usage, joint philosophy, and load paths
• Lead and mentor a team of structures design engineers, setting standards for models, drawings, and design reviews
• Drive trades on part count, tooling approach, and assembly sequence with manufacturing and program leadership
• Solve the problems unique to big parts: dimensional control over large spans, thermal growth in cure, handling and fixturing, and transport constraints
• Work daily with stress, M&P, and composites manufacturing to close margins and keep the build moving
• Own design maturity through PDR, CDR, first article, structural test, and first flight

What We Look For

• BS or MS in Mechanical, Aerospace, or a related engineering field
• 8+ years designing aircraft structure, with direct ownership of large composite primary structure such as wings, wing boxes, fuselage barrels or panels, or empennage
• Deep knowledge of composite design and manufacturing at scale: laminate design, large tool design implications, cure behavior, bonded and bolted joints
• Experience leading engineers through a full development cycle, from concept through structural test or flight
• Proficiency in CAD (NX, CATIA, or SolidWorks) and strong GD&T, including datum strategies for large assemblies
• Hands-on mindset. You have stood next to your parts on the shop floor and changed the design because of what you saw
• Bias toward speed. You make decisions with incomplete data and iterate
• Ability to work onsite in Oxnard, CA

Nice to have

• Familiarity with prepreg, infusion, or out-of-autoclave processes for large parts
• Experience with FEA tools (Nastran, Abaqus, HyperMesh) or close partnership with stress teams
• Experience taking large structure through static and fatigue test
• Startup or small-team experience where you owned major program scope

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