Mechanical Design & Analysis Engineer

Description

• Leverage additive manufacturing and traditional fabrication methods to produce high-performance UAV components.
• Support rapid prototyping efforts with hands-on experience building functional prototypes in a shop environment, iterating designs based on real-world results and test data.
• Contribute to configuration management and documentation control, maintaining clear versioning of CAD files, assemblies, and design revisions.
• Analyze initial aerostructures designs against preliminary mass properties targets and strength and stiffness requirements.
• Troubleshoot mechanical and electromechanical issues through root cause analysis and implement effective corrective actions.
• Build and maintain engineering rigor by contributing to the development of company-wide best practices, including CAD standards, documentation protocols, and hardware management processes. Write detailed build documentation and collaborate hands-on with technicians during hardware integration and assembly.
• Create and maintain high-quality 3D CAD models, detailed engineering drawings, and manufacturing documentation using SolidWorks, emphasizing GD&T principles to ensure precision and manufacturability.
• Develop innovative, manufacturable mechanical designs optimized for UAV flight performance under varying operational conditions, ensuring structural, thermal, and functional requirements are met through rigorous analysis and validation.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with electrical engineers, flight-test engineers, and manufacturing teams to integrate complex mechanical and electromechanical systems, including servos, pumps, sensors, cameras, PCBAs, wiring harnesses, and connectors.
• Support technical reviews and contribute to design and analysis decisions, ensuring robust engineering practices and adherence to program requirements.
• Support mechanical design and structural analysis efforts for key UAV subsystems across the entire product lifecycle: concept, prototyping, testing, production, and field support.
• Validate and optimize designs using a combination of hand calculations, finite element analysis (FEA), and physical testing.
• Support Design for Manufacturability (DFM) efforts, working closely with internal and external manufacturing teams to refine parts and processes—including additive manufacturing, CNC machining, sheet metal, injection molding, and composite tooling and fixturing.
• Drive high-cadence iterative design and analysis cycles, supporting rapid prototyping and cross-functional design reviews to incorporate test feedback promptly and continuously improve hardware through agile development processes.
• Direct application of DFM and designing for additive, traditional, and composite manufacturing methods, including tooling and fixturing for composite assemblies.

Requirements

• This role requires an on-site presence
• Demonstrated ability to perform structural modeling and analysis of mechanical components and assemblies.
• Strong foundation in mechanical engineering fundamentals; structures, fluid systems, thermal management, and mechanisms.
• 3+ years of mechanical design experience, working directly with aircraft design.
• Proven ability to develop and execute mission-level simulations or analysis tools using MATLAB, Simulink, or similar environments
• Must be able to lift up to 30 lbs. and wear appropriate PPE [as required]
• Ability to work flexible hours and travel to various testing locations as needed
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated skill in correlating analytical results with physical test data and applying findings to improve design performance
• Experience analyzing primary and secondary aircraft structures using industry-standard tools and methods.
• Background supporting the full hardware development lifecycle, including design, prototyping, testing, and production
• Familiarity with configuration management, version control practices for CAD, and engineering documentation control
• 3+ of hands-on experience in structural analysis.
• Hands-on design engineering experience, with proven application of design-for-manufacturability (DFM) principles.
• Minimum 1 year of hands-on experience in structural analysis.
• Proficiency in first-order structural analysis and hand calculations, including free body diagrams, statics, and mechanics of materials.
• Hands-on experience with UAV or aerospace flight structures, including knowledge of rotary and fixed-wing platforms.
• Must be a U.S. Person (citizen or permanent resident) and able to work on-site in San Diego.
• Experience integrating mechanical designs with electrical systems, including PCBAs, wiring harnesses, and electromechanical components such as servos and sensors.
• 5+ years’ of professional mechanical design experience, working directly with aircraft design, and analysis
• Familiarity with designing injection-molded components or polymer-based additive manufacturing techniques.
• Willingness to travel up to 10% domestically for testing and demonstrations
• Experience in SolidWorks, including surfacing, top-down design, and advanced modeling techniques, plus strong knowledge of GD&T principles.

Benefits

• Basic Life/AD&D, short-term and long-term disability insurance, 100% covered by Firestorm. Plus, the option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your family.
• Accident insurance
• We offer comprehensive medical, dental, and visions plans
• Equity grants for new hires
• Lifestyle Spending Account
• Hospital Indemnity insurance
• Mental Health Resources: We provide free mental health resources 24/7 including therapy and more. Additional work-life services, such as free legal and financial support, are available to you as well.
• Generous Parental Leave
• 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan to invest in your long-term retirement goals
• Unlimited PTO
• Critical Illness insurance
• Extremely generous company holiday calendar, including a holiday hiatus in November, & December.

Training + Development

Interview process

Visa Sponsorship

Security clearance