Mechanical Engineer – Drone Development, Design & Test

• Lead the technical maturation of Locust, an advanced unmanned aircraft system, from demonstrated prototype to a DoD fieldable LRIP platform
• Design mechanical components, assemblies, structures, enclosures, mounts, and mechanisms for unmanned aerial systems
• Develop concepts and detailed designs using 3D CAD
• Own mechanical designs from initial requirements through prototype, test, iteration, and production release
• Build and assemble prototype vehicles and subsystems
• Work directly with machine shops, fabrication vendors, and suppliers to rapidly produce prototype hardware
• Develop engineering drawings, tolerances, interfaces, and manufacturing documentation
• Perform structural, load, thermal, vibration, tolerance, and basic mechanical analyses
• Design lightweight structures balancing strength, stiffness, manufacturability, cost, and weight
• Develop and execute mechanical test plans
• Conduct structural, vibration, environmental, durability, and system-level testing
• Diagnose mechanical failures and implement design improvements
• Support flight testing and vehicle-level integration
• Collaborate with electrical, embedded, autonomy, controls, manufacturing, and test engineers
• Design for manufacturability, assembly, serviceability, and field repair
• Participate in vehicle builds, troubleshooting, test campaigns, and engineering validation
• Serve as primary technical authority for Locust production readiness
• Work with manufacturing partners, government customers, and cross-functional engineering teams to keep production on schedule and within budget

• BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related discipline
• 3+ years of mechanical product development experience
• Strong 3D CAD and mechanical design experience
• Demonstrated experience taking hardware from concept through prototype and testing
• Hands-on experience assembling, modifying, troubleshooting, and testing electromechanical systems
• Strong understanding of mechanical design fundamentals including materials, fasteners, tolerancing, structures, and manufacturing processes
• Experience designing parts for CNC machining, sheet metal, composites, additive manufacturing, or similar fabrication processes
• Experience developing test fixtures and executing mechanical validation testing
• Ability to independently troubleshoot hardware failures and drive design changes
• Must be a US Citizen
• Eligible for a US security clearance
• Preferred:
  Direct experience designing or developing UAVs, drones, UAS, aircraft, robotics, or autonomous vehicles
• Preferred:
  Experience with small or Group 1–3 unmanned aircraft
• Preferred:
  Experience with airframes, propulsion integration, payload integration, landing systems, or flight-control hardware
• Preferred:
  Experience with composite structures
• Preferred:
  Experience transitioning prototype designs into low-rate or production manufacturing

Demonstrates expertise in mechanical design and product development for unmanned aerial systems, with a strong focus on 3D CAD, prototyping, and testing. Capable of leading cross-functional teams and managing production readiness while ensuring compliance with engineering standards.

• Mechanical Design Experience
• 3D CAD Proficiency
• Prototype Development
• UAV Design Experience
• Mechanical Testing Execution

• Mechanical Engineering
• 3D CAD
• Prototype Development
• Mechanical Analysis
• CNC Machining
• Additive Manufacturing
• Test Fixture Development
• Troubleshooting
• Design for Manufacturability
• Structural Analysis

• Collaboration
• Problem-Solving
• Communication
• Leadership

• BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering
• US Citizenship
• US Security Clearance Eligibility

• Unmanned Aerial Systems
• UAV
• Drones
• Robotics
• Flight-Control Hardware
• Composite Structures
• Production Manufacturing

• Mechanical CAD Software
• Fabrication Tools
• Testing Equipment