Senior Rapid Prototyping Engineer for UAS

Drive Capital; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, Dental, Vision Insurance (emlo

Life Insurance

401k Matching

Unlimited PTO

Equity Package

Work/Home Office Stipend

Global Entry

Parental Leave

Wellness Stipend

Job summary

HavocAI is seeking a Senior Rapid Prototyping Engineer to lead the maturation of Locust, our advanced unmanned aircraft system, as it transitions from prototype to a Department of Defense (DoD) LRIP platform.

This engineer will spend substantial time working directly with hardware, turning concepts into functioning prototypes, integrating mechanical and electrical systems, troubleshooting vehicles, and making fast design changes based on test results.

Qualifications

• BS in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Robotics, Mechatronics, or equivalent
• 3+ years developing physical hardware systems
• Demonstrated experience building and testing drones, UAVs, robotics, aircraft, or autonomous systems
• Strong mechanical CAD skills
• Significant hands‑on experience building electromechanical prototypes
• Experience with multiple manufacturing and fabrication processes

Responsibilities

• Rapidly turn concepts and requirements into functional drone prototypes
• Design and modify airframes, brackets, mounts, enclosures, payload interfaces, and vehicle components
• Build and assemble prototype unmanned aircraft and subsystems
• Integrate motors, propulsion systems, batteries, avionics, sensors, compute hardware, communications, equipment, and payloads
• Create quick-turn CAD designs and engineering drawings
• Use additive manufacturing, CNC machining, sheet metal, composites, and other fabrication methods to produce prototype parts
• Perform hands‑on fabrication, assembly, rework, and modification of prototype hardware
• Develop test fixtures and experimental setups
• Support bench testing, ground testing, environmental testing, and flight testing
• Diagnose hardware and integration failures across mechanical and electromechanical systems
• Rapidly redesign components based on test results

Skills

Mechanical CAD

Hands-on prototyping

Troubleshooting hardware

Electromechanical systems

Fabrication processes

Education

BS in Mechanical Eng

Tools

SolidWorks

CAD software

CNC Machining

3D Printing

Job description

HavocAI is seeking a Senior Rapid Prototyping Engineer to lead the maturation of Locust, our advanced unmanned aircraft system, as it transitions from prototype to a Department of Defense (DoD) LRIP platform.

This engineer will spend substantial time working directly with hardware, turning concepts into functioning prototypes, integrating mechanical and electrical systems, troubleshooting vehicles, and making fast design changes based on test results.