Structures Design Engineer, Airframe

Swarm Aero

Oxnard (CA)

On-site

USD 140,000 - 210,000

Full time

14 days+

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Benefits offered by this job

Equity in a high-growth defense tech

Competitive base salary

Medical, dental, vision, 401k

PTO and paid sick leave

Monthly wellness stipend

Daily catered lunch (office)

Paid parental leave

Direct impact on a national security使命

World‑class engineering team

Job summary

Swarm Aero is building a Group 5 autonomous aircraft and seeking a structures design engineer to own parts from concept through first article. You will design real hardware—control surfaces, ribs, spars, frames, doors—and drive analysis, drawings, vendor coordination, and first article testing.

You’ll coordinate with manufacturing and support integration of subsystems to deliver build-ready structures. The role emphasizes hands-on CAD/FEA work in a fast‑paced, small team, with travel to Oxnard

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field (advanced degree preferred).
5+ years of experience in composite structure design for aircraft, spacecraft, or similar vehicles.
Deep understanding of composite and metal material properties, laminate design, bonding and joining techniques.
Strong expertise in CAD software, particularly Siemens NX and Fibersim, or equivalent software.
Led the design and analysis of composite structures throughout the product lifecycle, from conceptualization to production.
Hands‑on experience with composite part fabrication and bonding.
Familiarity with aviation industry standards and DoD certification requirements.
Ability and willingness to travel to our Oxnard headquarters for onsite collaboration and meetings.

Responsibilities

Own structural design and sizing for primary and secondary airframe structure, including wing, fuselage, empennage, and major joints
Develop the loads and criteria set for the aircraft and turn it into sized structure with documented margins
Run static, buckling, fatigue, and dynamic analysis in FEA, and know when hand calcs are the faster and better answer
Design in composites and metallics, and decide placement based on weight, cost, and rate
Work directly with manufacturing on layup design, tooling concepts, part count, and assembly sequence
Define and run structural test from coupon to full scale static tests, reconciling results with the model
Support integration of propulsion, landing or recovery systems, payload bays, and control surface actuation
Own your parts end to end, from concept through drawings, vendor coordination, first article, and flight

Skills

Aerospace design

Composite structures

CAD Siemens NX

Fibersim

FEM/FEA analysis

Product lifecycle

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace/Mechanical Engineering

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

Siemens NX

Fibersim

Teamcenter

Job description

Swarm Aero is redefining air power, building the largest swarming UAV and the most versatile swarming aircraft network in the world. The company is moving quickly to launch the first aircraft designed specifically for swarming, as well as the Command & Control software to mobilize swarms of thousands of heterogeneous autonomous assets and empower human operators to achieve superhuman results.

The team has created and exited multiple startups, negotiated defense deals worth billions of dollars, and designed and built 30+ novel aircraft, with aerospace experience from Scaled Composites, Airbus, Archer Aviation, Blue Origin, and Boom Supersonic.

About this Role

We are building a Group 5 autonomous aircraft and driving it to first flight. We are in detailed design with tooling in work, and we are looking for a structures design engineer to own parts on that aircraft from concept through first article.

You will design and size real hardware: control surfaces, ribs and spars, frames, doors and access panels, fittings and joints. You will take your parts all the way out, through analysis, drawings, vendor coordination, first article, and the fixes that come after. Our structures lead sets the architecture and the design approach. Inside that, your parts are yours.

This is a role for someone who wants to design more and coordinate less. You will be in CAD and in FEA most days, and in the shop the rest of them. The aircraft is small enough as an organization that the person who draws a part is the person who sees it come off the tool, and finds out the same week whether the call they made was right.

What you'll do

Own structural design and sizing for primary and secondary airframe structure, including wing, fuselage, empennage, and major joints
Develop the loads and criteria set for the aircraft and turn it into sized structure with documented margins
Run static, buckling, fatigue, and dynamic analysis in FEA, and know when hand calcs are the faster and better answer
Design in composites and metallics, and make the call on which belongs where based on weight, cost, and rate
Work directly with manufacturing on layup design, tooling concepts, part count, and assembly sequence so the design we release is the design we can build
Define and run structural test, from coupon and element testing through component and full scale static test, and reconcile test results against the model
Support integration of propulsion, landing or recovery systems, payload bays, and control surface actuation into the structure
Own your parts end to end, from concept through drawings, vendor coordination, first article, and flight

Basic Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field (advanced degree preferred).
5+ years of experience in composite structure design for aircraft, spacecraft, or similar vehicles.
Deep understanding of composite and metal material properties, composite laminate design, composite structure analysis, bonding and joining techniques.
Strong expertise in CAD software, particularly Siemens NX and Fibersim, or equivalent software.
Led the design and analysis of composite structures throughout the product lifecycle, from conceptualization to production.
Hands‑on experience with composite part fabrication and bonding.
Familiarity with aviation industry standards and DoD certification requirements.
Ability and willingness to travel to our Oxnard headquarters for onsite collaboration and meetings.

Preferred Qualifications:

Extensive experience in new product development, especially within small, agile teams.
Experience in composite aircraft manufacturing techniques, including bonded structures.
Exceptional problem‑solving and analytical skills. Strong design skills using Siemens NX/Fibersim and experience with PLM systems like Teamcenter.
Comprehensive knowledge of aviation industry practices and DoD certification standards.
Outstanding communication, time management, collaboration, and leadership abilities, with a proven track record of successfully working in cross‑functional teams.

As part of our commitment to maintaining a safe and trustworthy work environment, Swarm Aero conducts a thorough screening of prospective employees. Candidates will be subject to a comprehensive background verification process as a prerequisite for employment.

ITAR requirement

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Swarm Aero is an equal opportunity employer. We value diverse backgrounds and experiences and make employment decisions without regard to race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, or disability.

What We Offer