Senior Mechanical Engineer - UAV Airframe Design and Test

HavocAI; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental and vision insurance

Life Insurance

401k matching

Unlimited PTO

Equity package

Home office stipend

Global Entry

Parental leave

Wellness stipend

Job summary

HavocAI is seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer to lead the technical maturation of Locust, our unmanned aircraft system, as it progresses toward DoD LRIP readiness.

You will own airframe design for manufacture, perform structural analysis, and drive system-level integration while coordinating with manufacturing partners and government customers. This hands-on, field-oriented role blends design, prototyping, and production scale-up.

Qualifications

• Bachelor-level or Master-level degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related discipline.
• 3+ years of mechanical product development experience.
• Strong 3D CAD and mechanical design experience.
• Experience taking hardware from concept through prototype and testing.
• Hands-on experience assembling, modifying, troubleshooting, and testing electromechanical systems.
• Solid understanding of materials, fasteners, tolerancing, structures and manufacturing processes.
• Experience designing parts for CNC machining, sheet metal, composites or additive manufacturing.
• Experience developing test fixtures and executing mechanical validation testing.
• Ability to independently troubleshoot hardware failures and drive design changes.

Responsibilities

• Design mechanical components, assemblies, structures, enclosures, mounts, and mechanisms for unmanned aerial systems.
• Develop concepts and detailed designs using 3D CAD.
• Own mechanical designs from initial requirements through prototype, test, iteration, and production release.
• Build and assemble prototype vehicles and subsystems.
• Collaborate with machine shops, fabrication vendors, and suppliers to rapidly produce prototype hardware.
• Prepare engineering drawings, tolerances, interfaces, and manufacturing documentation.
• Perform mechanical analyses including structural, load, thermal and vibration assessments.
• Design lightweight structures balancing strength, manufacturability, cost and weight.
• Develop and execute mechanical test plans and conduct structural, vibration, environmental, and durability tests.
• Diagnose mechanical failures and implement design improvements.

Skills

3D CAD

Mechanical design

Prototype testing

Hardware troubleshooting

Materials & tolerancing

Manufacturing processes

Structural analysis

Design for manufacturability

System integration

Education

BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering or Aerospace Engineering

Tools

CNC Machining

Sheet Metal

Composites

Additive Manufacturing

Job description

HavocAI is seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer to lead the technical maturation of Locust, our unmanned aircraft system, as it progresses toward DoD LRIP readiness.

You will own airframe design for manufacture, perform structural analysis, and drive system-level integration while coordinating with manufacturing partners and government customers. This hands-on, field-oriented role blends design, prototyping, and production scale-up.