UAS Engineer - Mechanical

Skyeton Inc; North Las Vegas (NV); On-site; USD 95,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401k plan with company match

Medical insurance

Global projects

Career growth

Referral program

Job summary

Skyeton, Inc is seeking a mechanical design engineer to own payload trays, mounts, and airframe interfaces for Raybird payloads. You will balance weight, CG, and endurance while ensuring structural integrity under vibration, shock, and thermal loads.

You’ll run CAD/FEA studies, generate fabrication drawings with GD&T, and work closely with machinists and test teams to deliver flight‑ready hardware for field demonstrations and military applications.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3–5 years designing and integrating mechanical hardware for UAS, aircraft, or defense programs.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering or equivalent hands‑on experience.
• Fluency in Solidworks (or CATIA, Creo, or NX) for detailed part, assembly, surfacing, and drawing work.
• Comfort running FEA and hand calculations for structural, vibration, and thermal margins (Solidworks Simulation, ANSYS, or similar).
• Strong command of GD&T (ASME Y14.5) and tolerance stack‑ups across machined, sheet‑metal, composite, and printed parts.

Responsibilities

• Own the mechanical design of payload trays, mounts, and airframe interfaces for EO/IR, radar, SAR, and SIGINT payloads on the Raybird.
• Package mission equipment into tight internal volumes while respecting weight, CG, and endurance budgets.
• Design vibration isolation, shock protection, and thermal paths for flight-ready hardware.
• Run CAD and FEA trade studies to validate margins before hardware bench work.
• Produce fabrication‑ready drawings, GD&T, and assembly documentation; collaborate with machinists to make parts.

Skills

Mechanical design experience

GD&T proficiency

UAS/Defense domain knowledge

Hands-on lab work

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Tools

Solidworks

CATIA

Creo

NX

FEA tools (Solidworks Simulation/ANSYS)

Job description

At Skyeton, you’ll work at the leading edge of unmanned aircraft systems. Our Raybird UAVs fly critical missions, from reconnaissance and monitoring to targeting and search-and-rescue, proven across hundreds of thousands of operational flight hours. This is a UAS-focused engineering role, and everything you do centers on getting capability onto the aircraft and into the air.

You’ll work in a fast-paced engineering, integration, and test environment, moving from concept to flight quickly and validating new payloads and mission systems on real hardware. Expect hands‑on, day‑to‑day exposure to emerging technologies across sensors, communications, and autonomy, with the freedom to prototype, integrate, and iterate.

Most importantly, your work gets fielded. You’ll help bring new technologies and mission capabilities directly to the warfighter on timelines that matter, and see the systems you build make a real operational difference.

What you’ll do

• Own the mechanical design of payload trays, mounts, and airframe interfaces that carry EO/IR, radar, SAR, and SIGINT payloads on the Raybird.
• Package mission equipment into tight internal volumes while holding to the platform’s weight, center‑of‑gravity, and endurance budgets.
• Design vibration isolation, shock protection, and thermal paths so sensitive gimbals survive catapult launch and parachute‑airbag recovery.
• Run CAD and FEA trade studies to validate structural, vibration, and thermal margins before hardware reaches the bench.
• Produce fabrication‑ready drawings, GD&T, and assembly documentation, and work directly with machinists and technicians to get parts made.
• Stand up integration‑lab fixtures, jigs, and test stands, and support fit‑checks and environmental testing.
• Turn hardware around quickly for flight test and customer demonstrations, then iterate on what the flight data shows.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3-5 years designing and integrating mechanical hardware for UAS, aircraft, or other flight or defense programs.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent hands‑on experience.
• Fluency in Solidworks (or CATIA, Creo, or NX) for detailed part, assembly, surfacing, and drawing work.
• Comfort running FEA and hand calculations for structural, vibration, and thermal margins (Solidworks Simulation, ANSYS, or similar).
• Strong command of GD&T (ASME Y14.5), tolerance stack‑ups, and design‑for‑manufacture across machined, sheet‑metal, composite, and printed parts.
• A track record of weight- and CG‑conscious design on mass‑constrained systems.
• Willingness to be hands‑on in the lab and at the flight line, including test support at U.S. military installations.
• Sharp attention to detail and a bias toward getting hardware flying.

Preferred Qualifications

• Active U.S. security clearance, Minimum Secret, TS or TS/SCI preferred.
• Prior work on Department of War (DoW) programs.
• Experience with small fixed‑wing UAS in the Group 2–3 class (roughly 20–25 kg MTOW).
• Hands‑on experience with catapult‑launched, parachute‑ and airbag‑recovered aircraft and the shock and impact loads they create.
• Experience mounting and isolating gimbaled EO/IR, radar, SAR, or SIGINT payloads.
• Familiarity with MIL‑STD and DO‑160 environmental testing.
• Design experience for wide‑temperature field environments (roughly −35 °C to +55 °C).

What We Offer

• 401k plan with company match.
• Medical insurance: voluntary health insurance program.
• Innovative projects: work in an international company that develops advanced technologies for the military sector and is actively growing in the global market.
• Career opportunities: participation in internal competitions for new positions, working on various projects, and expanding your skills.
• Competitive salary and a referral program for recommendations.

About Skyeton, Inc

Skyeton is an aerospace and defense technology company focused on the design, production, and support of advanced unmanned aerial systems. At our growing Fayetteville, North Carolina operation, employees help establish and scale U.S.-based manufacturing capabilities that support demanding customer missions.

Company Culture

Skyeton combines the energy of a growing organization with the discipline required in aerospace manufacturing. We value teamwork, accountability, practical problem‑solving, precise execution, and a willingness to improve. Our people make a difference, and every employee contributes directly to product quality, operational readiness, and customer success.