Mechanical Engineering Internship - Winter/Spring 2027 (Dropship, Early Interest)

Pyka; Alameda (CA); On-site; USD 48,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Paid holidays

PTO (paid time off)

Unpaid time off

Visa sponsorship

Job summary

Pyka is seeking a Mechanical Engineering Intern in Alameda, CA to contribute to real aircraft hardware and support the entire design cycle from concept to field deployment. You will work with a team of engineers, builders, and innovators shaping autonomous electric aviation.

You’ll gain hands-on experience on active projects, collaborating across engineering, manufacturing, and testing teams to bring our autonomous electric aircraft to life.

Qualifications

• Pursuing a degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering.
• Interest in electric aviation, robotics, or sustainability.
• Strong problem-solving and hands-on shop experience.
• Familiarity with 3D CAD software.
• Bonus: experience with FEA, composite materials, 3D printing, CNC machining, or rapid prototyping.
• Preferred graduation window: Winter 2026 - Spring 2028.
• You may be a great fit even if you don’t meet every qualification.

Responsibilities

• Support the design, prototyping, testing, and iteration of mechanical components and assemblies.
• Assist in validating environmental and performance requirements for aircraft parts and materials.
• Help investigate, root-cause, and develop solutions for hardware issues discovered during flight testing or field operations.
• Create or update 3D CAD models, drawings, and documentation under the guidance of Mechanical Engineers.
• Collaborate with Manufacturing Engineers on improving build processes, tooling, and manufacturability.
• Conduct hands‑on testing, research, or analysis to support project milestones.
• Present findings or project outcomes at the end of your internship.

Skills

Mechanical engineering

Aerospace engineering

3D CAD

Hands-on

Problem solving

Education

Pursuing Mechanical Engineering or Aerospace Engineering degree

Tools

SolidWorks

NX

Inventor

FEA

CNC machining

3D printing

Job description

About Pyka

Pyka’s goal is to provide society with a new form of safe, clean, and cost-effective transportation enabled by autonomous electric aviation. To get there, we’re taking a different approach than most. We're applying our technologies to every industry where autonomous electric aircraft can be useful, starting with the highest value and most dangerous jobs. In doing so, we're building game-changing products manufactured at scale, while perfecting the safety, reliability, and capabilities of our autonomy engine and electric propulsion systems. We design, develop and manufacture an ecosystem of technologies including proprietary flight control software, avionics, high power density motors, motor controllers, batteries, and custom carbon-fiber composite airframes. Today, we supply autonomous electric aircraft for cargo transport and crop protection to real-world customers across four separate continents and have secured industry-first regulatory approvals from the FAA. Our cargo aircraft enables remote connectivity, enhances express delivery networks, and ensures fast and reliable shipping of critical supplies to areas in need. Our crop protection aircraft offers agricultural services providers and farmers an autonomous tool to make aerial application safer, more precise, and less harmful to surrounding environments. Both vehicles are highly economical to operate, easy to deploy, and significantly reduce CO2 emissions in their respective industries. What you work on at Pyka makes people’s lives better now and brings the future of electric aviation one step closer each day.

Role Overview

The Dropship Mechanical Team is looking for curious, driven, and hands‑on mechanical engineering students who want to learn from a team of engineers, builders, and innovators redefining what’s possible in aviation. As a Mechanical Engineering Intern at Pyka, you’ll be embedded directly with the Mechanical Engineering team — contributing to real aircraft hardware, supporting the entire design cycle, and learning firsthand how we take complex electromechanical systems from concept to field deployment. You’ll gain real-world experience working on active projects, collaborating across engineering, manufacturing, and testing teams, and seeing how hardware, software, and operations all come together to bring our autonomous electric aircraft to life.

Why This Internship Is Unique

Pyka’s Mechanical Engineering team handles the same volume of hardware work as teams 10x the size - which means you’ll see and touch more types of parts, subsystems, tools, and tests in one summer than many interns get in several years. This is a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment where you’ll have real ownership and real impact.

What You’ll Work On

• Support the design, prototyping, testing, and iteration of mechanical components and assemblies
• Assist in validating environmental and performance requirements for aircraft parts and materials
• Help investigate, root-cause, and develop solutions for hardware issues discovered during flight testing or field operations
• Create or update 3D CAD models, drawings, and documentation under the guidance of Mechanical Engineers
• Collaborate with Manufacturing Engineers on improving build processes, tooling, and manufacturability
• Conduct hands‑on testing, research, or analysis to support project milestones
• Present findings or project outcomes at the end of your internship

Required Qualifications

• Students currently pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field
• A genuine interest in electric aviation, robotics, mechanical design, or sustainability
• Strong problem‑solving skills, curiosity, and willingness to dive into complex technical challenges
• Comfort getting hands‑on in the shop — building, testing, iterating
• Familiarity with 3D CAD (SolidWorks, NX, Inventor, or similar)
• Bonus: exposure to FEA, composite materials, 3D printing, CNC machining, or rapid prototyping
• Preferred graduation window: Winter 2026 - Spring 2028
• We understand that candidates bring different strengths and experiences, and you don’t need to meet every qualification to be considered. If this role excites you, we’d love to learn more about you. You may be a great fit even if your background doesn’t align perfectly with the list

Why You’ll Love It Here

• Work on actual flight‑critical hardware (not hypothetical student projects)
• Join a small, passionate team building something world‑changing
• Learn directly from senior engineers with deep aerospace, robotics, and manufacturing experience
• Daily exposure to cutting‑edge electromechanical systems - including carbon‑fiber airframes, electric propulsion, avionics, and autonomy
• Experience the full lifecycle of hardware development at a rapidly scaling aerospace startup

Compensation And Benefits

• $35-$40/hr pay. Compensation will vary depending on location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Hourly wage ranges are subject to change
• Employer-sponsored health, dental and vision insurance
• Paid holidays, generous PTO, and additional unpaid time off
• Voluntary short‑term disability, long‑term disability, and life insurance
• Pre‑tax commuter benefits
• Free catered lunch and plenty of snacks
• Visa sponsorship

Export Control Requirements

This position requires access to technology, software and other information that is subject to governmental access control restrictions, due to export controls. Employment in this position is conditioned on the continued availability of government authorization to authorize release of such items, to the extent required, including without limitation an export license, or other documentation required to establish authorization to receive access to such items. Company may delay commencement of employment, rescind an offer of employment, terminate employment, and/or may modify job responsibilities, compensation, benefits, and/or access to Company facilities and information systems, as Company deems appropriate, in order to ensure compliance with applicable government access control restrictions. We do not work with external recruiters; if you are an external recruiter, please do not reach out. We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans.