UAV Aerospace System Engineer

Swift Engineering; San Clemente (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

9/80 Schedule

Health Insurance

Vision Insurance - 100% covered for Em

Dental Insurance - 100% covered

Life Insurance - 100% covered by Swift

401k with company match

Holiday calendar + PTO

Caregiver & Wellness Leave

Family Planning & Parenting Support

Job summary

Swift Engineering in the United States is seeking a UAV Aerospace System Engineer to lead the architectural design and system-level integration of advanced unmanned aerial vehicles. This role requires deep technical expertise in autonomous flight systems and close collaboration across multidisciplinary teams.

Experience with High-Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS) is strongly desired, and you will oversee design trades, integration, and flight-test support, including travel as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related engineering field is required.
• 10+ years' experience in autonomous systems and control.
• Experience with autopilot architectures and UAV flight operations.
• Familiarity with Ground Control Stations (GCS) and RF operations.
• Proficient in Matlab/Simulink and SolidWorks; strong cross-disciplinary collaboration.
• Ability to lead system integration and perform analyses across teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead architectural and system-level design of fixed-wing UAV platform.
• Define and integrate autonomous flight systems, including autopilot and mission logic.
• Oversee performance, configuration, and trade studies (aerodynamics, propulsion, structures).
• Collaborate with avionics, software, RF, operations, manufacturing, and test teams.
• Provide technical leadership to a small engineering team.
• Support flight test planning, execution, and post-flight analysis.
• Interface with stakeholders and external partners as needed.
• Contribute to system documentation, requirements, and design reviews.
• Support field operations and customer engagements, including travel.

Skills

Autonomous flight systems

UAV system integration

Matlab/Simulink

SolidWorks

Autopilot architectures

Ground Control Stations

RF operations

Cross-functional collaboration

Analytical skills

Experience with High-Altitude Platform

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering / Mechanical Engineering / Electrical Engineering / Physics

Master’s or Ph.D. in Engineering or Physics (preferred)

Tools

SolidWorks

Ground Control Stations (GCS)

Autopilot architectures

RF systems

Job description

Description

We are seeking a highly capable UAV Aerospace System Engineer to lead the architectural design and system-level integration of advanced unmanned aerial vehicles. This role requires deep technical expertise in autonomous flight systems and close collaboration across multidisciplinary teams. Experience with High-Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS) is strongly desired.

Description

We are seeking a highly capable UAV Aerospace System Engineer to lead the architectural design and system-level integration of advanced unmanned aerial vehicles. This role requires deep technical expertise in autonomous flight systems and close collaboration across multidisciplinary teams. Experience with High-Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS) is strongly desired.

Salary Range

$150,000 annually to $170,000 annually

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the architectural and system-level design of fixed-wing UAV platform
• Define and integrate autonomous flight systems, including autopilot, navigation, and mission logic
• Oversee aircraft performance, configuration, and trade studies (aerodynamics, propulsion, structures, power)
• Collaborate closely with avionics, software, RF, operations, manufacturing, and test teams
• Provide technical leadership to a small, high-performance engineering team
• Support flight test planning, execution, and post-flight analysis
• Interface with internal stakeholders and external partners as needed
• Contribute to system documentation, requirements definition, and design reviews
• Support field operations and customer engagements, including travel as required

Requirements

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related field
• Strong understanding of autonomous systems and control with 10+ years experience
• Experience with autopilot architectures
• Familiarity with Ground Control Stations (GCS)
• Understanding of radio systems and RF operations
• Experience with UAV system integration and flight operations
• Experience with Matlab/Simulink and SolidWork
• Ability to work effectively across multiple teams and disciplines
• Strong analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree or Ph.D. in Engineering or Physics
• Experience with High-Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS) or long-endurance UAVs
• Background in aircraft conceptual or preliminary design
• Experience leading or mentoring engineering teams
• Familiarity with regulatory, safety, and operational constraints for UAVs

Travel

Up to 20% travel anticipated for testing, integration, and coordination activities

What We Offer

• Opportunity to work on cutting-edge UAV and HAPS platforms
• High-impact technical leadership role with real system ownership
• Collaborative, mission-driven engineering environment

Working Conditions

Primarily in an office environment, and shop environment. Periodic weekend or evening work is expected. Travel is expected.

Must be US Person per ITAR requirements due to our contracts.

Swift Engineering is an EOE.

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) incumbent in this position. Employee(s) will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments.

A review of this position has excluded the marginal functions of the position that are incidental to the performance of fundamental job duties. All duties and responsibilities are essential job functions and requirements and are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. To perform this job successfully, the incumbent(s) will possess the skills, aptitudes, and abilities to perform each duty proficiently. Some requirements may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health or safety of themselves or others. The requirements listed in this document are the minimum levels of knowledge, skills, or abilities.

Benefits

• 9/80 Schedule
• Health Insurance
• Vision Insurance - 100% covered for Employees
• Dental Insurance - 100% covered for Employees
• Life Insurance - 100% covered by Swift, plus the option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your dependents.
• 401k with company match
• Extremely generous company holiday calendar including a holiday hiatus in December, and highly competitive PTO plans.
• 16 weeks of paid Caregiver & Wellness Leave to care for a family member, bond with your baby, or tend to your own medical condition.
• Family Planning & Parenting Support: Fertility (eg, IVF, preservation), adoption, and gestational carrier coverage with additional benefits and resources to provide support from planning to parenting.

About Swift Engineering

If you’re passionate about engineering, innovation and making a difference, we invite you to join the Swift Engineering family. Together, we are shaping the future of aerospace and creating technologies that will change the world.

The Pay Range For This Role Is

150,000 - 170,000 USD per year (Swift Engineering)