Senior Test Engineer

Position Summary Red Cat  Aerial, a subsidiary of Red Cat Holdings, is looking to fill a Mechanical Engineer position. We are a dynamic and growing drone technology company focused on the manufacturing of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS drones) for use in defense, public safety, and other government security  this role, you will be responsible for designing, prototyping, fabricating, testing, and integrating a range of mechanical systems into flight hardware and ground control systems.

The ideal candidate will have a background in mechanical design of drones and/or multi-axis camera gimbals in high volume production applications.

Location

Note:

The role will start in Carson, but the office is expected to move to the Torrance area in Q1 2026.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities Essential functions of a job that are crucial to its purpose and must be performed regularly. They are the fundamental tasks that an employee must be able to carry out, with or without reasonable accommodation, and are central to defining the role's purpose.

Create custom test fixtures, automation, and data acquisition systems as needed to enable robust, repeatable validation.

Apply Design of Experiments (DOE), life data analysis, and other statistical techniques (e.g., capability analysis, regression, Weibull analysis) to extract insights and support engineering decisions.

Partner with supplier quality and purchasing teams to support component qualification, test method validation, and vendor development efforts

Contribute to and review risk management deliverables (e.g., DFMEA/PFMEA) and propose test strategies that address top failure modes.

Support root cause investigations and drive corrective actions through structured test and analysis methods.

Other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications
- The following qualifications are required for any position:

Education:

Minimum education (e.g., Bachelor’s degree in Business or related field).

Experience:

Required years of relevant experience (e.g., 5+ yrs project management or sales).

Skills:

Key skills for success:
Proficiency with tools. Strong communication and teamwork.

Certifications:

Any certifications needed or preferred (e.g., PMP, Lean Six Sigma).B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace, Electrical, or a related discipline.
5+ years of experience in reliability, product validation, or mechanical test engineering.

Hands-on experience designing and building custom test setups, data acquisition systems (image capture, vibration analysis, thermal measurement, EMC/EMI measurement, etc)
Hands-on experience developing and executing qualification test plans for complex electromechanical systems.

Demonstrated ability to apply statistical analysis in the context of product testing and reliability evaluation.

Strong organizational planning skills and enthusiasm to develop high-level validation strategy

Additional Desired Qualifications
- The requirements below are desired knowledge, skills and/or abilities we desire but not required.

Familiarity with industry-specific environmental test standards (MIL-STD-810,DO-160, etc.) and associated test methods.

Experience with lightweight aerostructures, vibrations, fatigue analysis, etc.

Experience with UAS systems, robotics, autonomous vehicles, etc.

Experience with BLDC motor system design, integration, and validation

Proficiency in PCB layout, design, and component placement for electromechanical systems

Industry experience in robotics, UAVs/drones, autonomous systems, or similar hardware‑driven environments

Familiarity with camera modules, imaging systems, and optical component integration

Knowledge of structural composite materials (carbon fiber, fiberglass) and related mold or tooling design

Experience performing or interpreting analyses such as thermal, aerodynamic, or transient vibration simulation

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions
- The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this  able to lift 15 lbWork on your feet for 5+ hours each day Background Check This position will require successfully completing a post-offer background check. Qualified candidates with a criminal history will be considered and are not automatically disqualified, consistent with federal and state law.

EEO and ITAR/EAR Work Authorization Disclosure Red Cat Holdings provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and…