Mechanical Systems Engineer — Autonomous Cargo Aircraft

Poseidon Aerospace; California; On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary and meaningful?

Relocation support

Employee Health Benefit Plans

6% Retirement matching

Flexible PTO

Free lunches, snacks, and a stocked Fr

AI tools and subscriptions

Job summary

Poseidon Aerospace in the San Francisco Bay Area is seeking a Mechanical Engineer to design the structural and mechanical systems for our autonomous cargo aircraft. You will work across CAD, mechanism development, and FEA to create lightweight, flight-ready structures and collaborate with manufacturing, aerodynamics, and test teams.

You will contribute from concept through flight hardware, with a hands-on mindset and the ability to manage projects in a fast-paced startup.

Qualifications

• Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
• Proficiency with CAD software such as Fusion 360, SolidWorks, CATIA, or NX.
• Strong understanding of structural design, stress analysis, and mechanical systems.
• Experience with FEA tools such as ANSYS, Fusion Simulation, Nastran, or similar.
• Ability to apply GD&T and mechanical tolerancing to production drawings.
• Familiarity with composite and metallic fabrication methods.
• Understanding of fundamentals of flight mechanics and aircraft dynamics.
• Comfortable working hands-on with prototypes, test articles, and shop tools.
• Capable of managing projects independently in a fast-paced, startup environment.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop aircraft structures, mechanisms, and tooling using CAD software.
• Perform FEA to validate strength, stiffness, and load paths in composite and metallic components.
• Create detailed part/assembly drawings and documentation for manufacturing and inspection.
• Design linkages, control surface mechanisms, and mounting systems for aircraft subsystems.
• Collaborate with manufacturing engineers to ensure designs are practical, cost-effective, and easy to assemble.
• Support testing and validation of structural and mechanical systems, including fixture and rig design.
• Maintain CAD libraries, revision control, and configuration management for aircraft assemblies.
• Provide design feedback to improve manufacturability, maintainability, and structural efficiency.

Skills

CAD proficiency

Structural design

FEA

GD&T

Flight dynamics

Prototyping

Project management

Startup mindset

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Tools

Fusion 360

SolidWorks

CATIA

NX

ANSYS

Nastran

Fusion Simulation

Job description

Poseidon Aerospace in the San Francisco Bay Area is seeking a Mechanical Engineer to design the structural and mechanical systems for our autonomous cargo aircraft. You will work across CAD, mechanism development, and FEA to create lightweight, flight-ready structures and collaborate with manufacturing, aerodynamics, and test teams.

You will contribute from concept through flight hardware, with a hands-on mindset and the ability to manage projects in a fast-paced startup.