Senior Drone Engineer: Lead Production-Ready UAS (DoD)

Drive Capital; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

401k (Matching)

Unlimited PTO

Equity Package

Work/Home Office Stipend

Global Entry

Parental Leave

Job summary

HavocAI in San Diego seeks a Senior Drone Engineer to mature Locust UAS from prototype to fieldable LRIP. You will lead airframe design for manufacturability, perform structural analysis, and drive system integration with manufacturing partners and government customers.

You will supervise a small engineering team, manage schedules, and contribute to airworthiness documentation and program reviews, ensuring a robust, mission-ready aircraft for production scale.

Qualifications

• 8–12 years in UAS or aerospace structural design, analysis, testing, and product development.
• Proficiency with 3D CAD software (CATIA, SolidWorks, Siemens NX).
• Experience with structural analysis using FEA tools (Nastran, ANSYS).
• Proven success transitioning aerospace systems from prototype to LRIP/production readiness.
• Experience preparing airworthiness documentation and DoD submissions.
• Ability to manage schedules, deliverables, and communicate status to leadership and customers.
• U.S. Person with ability to obtain/maintain Secret clearance.

Responsibilities

• Lead structural design and analysis of airframe components, including static and fatigue assessments.
• Drive DFM/ DFA reviews to ensure production-ready hardware.
• Own material selection, composites, and supplier qualification.
• Develop and execute structural test programs supporting LRIP milestones.
• Maintain airframe configuration baseline and ECO control.

Skills

UAS aerospace structural design

3D CAD (CATIA/SolidWorks/Siemens NX)

FEA (Nastran/ANSYS)

Production readiness / LRIP

Technical leadership / mentoring

DoD airworthiness documentation

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering

Tools

CATIA

SolidWorks

Siemens NX

Nastran / ANSYS

Job description

HavocAI in San Diego seeks a Senior Drone Engineer to mature Locust UAS from prototype to fieldable LRIP. You will lead airframe design for manufacturability, perform structural analysis, and drive system integration with manufacturing partners and government customers.

You will supervise a small engineering team, manage schedules, and contribute to airworthiness documentation and program reviews, ensuring a robust, mission-ready aircraft for production scale.