UAV Systems Architect - Autonomy & HAPS Lead

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

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.