Senior Rapid Prototyping Engineer — Drones & UAS

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

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) matching

Unlimited PTO

Equity package

Home-office stipend

Parental leave

Wellness stipend

Job summary

HavocAI in San Diego seeks a Senior Rapid Prototyping Engineer to mature Locust, a DoD fieldable UAS, from prototype to production. You’ll work directly with hardware, turning concepts into functioning drones, integrating mechanical and electrical systems, and iterating fast based on test results.

You'll design airframes, mounts, and interfaces, assemble prototypes, and troubleshoot hardware across mech and electromech domains, using CAD and multiple fabrication methods.

Qualifications

• BS in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Robotics, Mechatronics or equivalent practical engineering experience.
• 3+ years developing physical hardware systems.
• Demonstrated experience building and testing drones, UAVs, robotics, aircraft, or autonomous systems.
• Strong mechanical CAD skills and hands‑on fabrication ability.
• Experience with multiple manufacturing and fabrication processes.
• Strong mechanical intuition and troubleshooting of real-world hardware.

Responsibilities

• Rapidly turn concepts and requirements into functional drone prototypes.
• Design and modify airframes, brackets, mounts, enclosures, and interfaces.
• Build and assemble prototype unmanned aircraft and subsystems.
• Integrate propulsion, avionics, sensors, compute hardware, and payloads.
• Create CAD designs and engineering drawings for fast-turn parts.
• Fabricate parts using additive, CNC, sheet metal, composites, and more.
• Perform hands-on fabrication, assembly, and modification of prototype hardware.
• Develop test fixtures and experimental setups for validation.
• Support bench, ground, environmental, and flight testing.

Skills

Hands-on hardware prototyping

Drones/UAS experience

Mechanical CAD

Prototype assembly

Electromechanical troubleshooting

Multifabrication processes

Rapid design iteration

Education

BS in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Robotics, Mechatronics, or equivalent practical engineering experience

Tools

CAD software

3D printing

CNC machining

Sheet metal fabrication

Job description

HavocAI in San Diego seeks a Senior Rapid Prototyping Engineer to mature Locust, a DoD fieldable UAS, from prototype to production. You’ll work directly with hardware, turning concepts into functioning drones, integrating mechanical and electrical systems, and iterating fast based on test results.

You'll design airframes, mounts, and interfaces, assemble prototypes, and troubleshoot hardware across mech and electromech domains, using CAD and multiple fabrication methods.