Senior Drone Engineer – DoD LRIP Production Lead

Havoc; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, Dental and Vision Insurance

Life Insurance

401k Matching

Unlimited PTO

Equity Package

Work/Home Office Stipend

Global Entry

Parental Leave

Wellness Stipend

Job summary

HavocAI in the United States is seeking a Senior Drone Engineer to lead the maturation of Locust, our DoD LRIP-ready UAS, transitioning from prototype to production-ready aircraft.

You will own airframe design for manufacture, drive structural analysis, and integrate subsystems while guiding a small team and coordinating with manufacturing partners and government customers to keep the program on schedule and within budget.

Qualifications

• 8–12 years of experience in UAS or aerospace structural design, analysis, testing, and product development.
• Proficiency with modern 3D CAD software such as CATIA, SolidWorks, Siemens NX, or equivalent.
• Experience performing structural analysis using FEA tools such as Nastran, ANSYS, or equivalent.
• Demonstrated success transitioning aerospace systems from prototype (TRL 5–6) through production readiness or LRIP.
• Experience preparing or contributing to airworthiness documentation, including structural substantiation reports or DoD Airworthiness Authority submissions.
• Experience managing technical schedules, tracking engineering deliverables, and communicating program status to internal leadership and government customers.
• U.S. Person (U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident) with the ability to obtain and maintain a Secret Security Clearance.

Responsibilities

• Lead structural design and analysis of Locust airframe components, including static, fatigue, and crashworthiness assessments.
• Drive Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) reviews, transforming prototype designs into repeatable, production-ready hardware.
• Own material selection, composite manufacturing processes, and supplier qualification for primary and secondary structures.
• Develop and execute structural test programs, including coupon, component, and full-vehicle testing, to support airworthiness certification and LRIP milestones.
• Establish and maintain the airframe configuration baseline, including engineering change orders (ECOs), drawing releases, and configuration management.
• Partner with propulsion, avionics, and payload engineering teams to integrate subsystems while maintaining structural integrity and weight targets.
• Lead first article inspections and production acceptance testing with manufacturing partners.
• Develop build-to-print packages, manufacturing work instructions, and inspection criteria supporting LRIP.
• Support flight test campaigns by analyzing results, driving corrective actions, and implementing design improvements.
• Maintain engineering schedules and track progress against production milestones, proactively identifying risks and mitigation strategies.
• Prepare and present technical reviews and program status updates for executive leadership and government customers, including SRR, PDR, CDR, PRR, and other milestone reviews.
• Lead and mentor a small team of engineers and technicians supporting the Locust production effort.
• Support proposal development, production planning, and cost estimating for follow-on production efforts.

Skills

UAS structural design

FEA analysis

3D CAD software

LRIP/DoD readiness

Leadership

Security clearance

Education

Aerospace/Mechanical Eng

Tools

CATIA

SolidWorks

Siemens NX

Nastran/ANSYS

Job description

HavocAI in the United States is seeking a Senior Drone Engineer to lead the maturation of Locust, our DoD LRIP-ready UAS, transitioning from prototype to production-ready aircraft.

You will own airframe design for manufacture, drive structural analysis, and integrate subsystems while guiding a small team and coordinating with manufacturing partners and government customers to keep the program on schedule and within budget.