Senior UAV Mechanical Engineer - Flight Structures

Firestorm; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision plans

401(k) Retirement Savings Plan

Equity grants for new hires

Unlimited PTO

Generous holiday calendar

Job summary

Firestorm seeks a Senior Mechanical Engineer, UAV to design and analyze critical flight structures and mechanisms for next-gen UAV systems. Lead mechanical design, structural analysis, and build efforts across the product line in a fast-paced environment.

You will collaborate cross-functionally with electrical, manufacturing, and flight-test teams to ensure performance, manufacturability, and cost targets are met.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related discipline.
• 'U.S. Person' as defined by 22 CFR.
• 5+ years of mechanical design experience with aircraft design.
• Minimum 1 year hands-on experience in structural analysis.
• Strong fundamentals in structures, fluids, thermal management, and mechanisms.
• Experience with design-for-manufacturability (DFM) and integration with electrical systems.

Responsibilities

• Support mechanical design and structural analysis for UAV subsystems across the product lifecycle.
• Develop manufacturable designs optimized for UAV performance under varying conditions.
• Analyze initial aerostructures against mass, strength and stiffness targets.
• Create and maintain 3D CAD models, drawings, and manufacturing documentation using SolidWorks with GD&T.
• Validate designs with hand calculations, FEA, and physical testing.
• Drive rapid design and analysis cycles for quick prototyping and reviews.
• Collaborate with electrical, flight-test, and manufacturing teams for integrated systems.
• Support technical reviews and design decisions to ensure robust practices.
• Contribute to rapid prototyping with hands-on build in a shop environment.
• Troubleshoot issues and perform root-cause analysis with corrective actions.
• Maintain CAD file versioning and design revisions, documentation control.
• Help develop company-wide CAD standards and hardware management processes.
• Support DFM efforts with internal and external manufacturers (additive, CNC, sheet metal, molding, composites).
• Leverage additive and traditional manufacturing to produce UAV components.
• Perform other duties as directed.

Skills

Mechanical design

Aerospace

DFM

GD&T

Structural analysis

SolidWorks

CAD tooling

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

FEA

MATLAB/Simulink

Job description

Firestorm seeks a Senior Mechanical Engineer, UAV to design and analyze critical flight structures and mechanisms for next-gen UAV systems. Lead mechanical design, structural analysis, and build efforts across the product line in a fast-paced environment.

You will collaborate cross-functionally with electrical, manufacturing, and flight-test teams to ensure performance, manufacturability, and cost targets are met.