Senior Mechanical Engineer, Aircraft

Firestorm is seeking a highly skilled Senior Mechanical Engineer, Aircraft to join our innovative engineering team in developing next-generation UAV systems. You will be responsible for the design, structural analysis, and build efforts of critical flight structures and mechanisms within our product line. You will work closely with a dynamic and fast-paced team of engineers and leadership to ensure mission-critical hardware meets stringent technical, schedule, and performance requirements.

In this role, you will play a pivotal role in developing mechanical components and subsystems that satisfy demanding criteria for performance, manufacturability, and cost. Your expertise will bridge advanced aerospace technology and practical engineering as you collaborate cross-functionally with electrical, manufacturing, and flight-test teams to ensure seamless integration of mechanical and electromechanical systems.

You will have proven experience delivering high-performance, mass-optimized hardware in rapid development environments, with a strong foundation in both mechanical design and structural analysis. Proficiency in 3D CAD, first-order hand calculations, and higher order analysis methods will be key to driving innovative solutions that enhance our UAV platform capabilities. As an individual contributor, you will directly influence the technical direction of your designs and help shape engineering best practices across projects. You will be engaged in all phases of the development lifecycle, from early concepts and prototyping through rigorous testing and production, in a fast-moving, high-impact setting.

What You’ll Do

• Support mechanical design and structural analysis efforts for key UAV subsystems across the entire product lifecycle: concept, prototyping, testing, production, and field support.
• 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.
• Analyze initial aerostructures designs against preliminary mass properties targets and strength and stiffness requirements.
• 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.
• Validate and optimize designs using a combination of hand calculations, finite element analysis (FEA), and physical testing.
• 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.
• 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 rapid prototyping efforts with hands-on experience building functional prototypes in a shop environment, iterating designs based on real-world results and test data.
• Troubleshoot mechanical and electromechanical issues through root cause analysis and implement effective corrective actions.
• Contribute to configuration management and documentation control, maintaining clear versioning of CAD files, assemblies, and design revisions.
• 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.
• 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.
• Leverage additive manufacturing and traditional fabrication methods to produce high-performance UAV components.
• Perform other duties as directed

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 'U.S. Person' as defined by 22 CFR § 120.62 required due to ITAR regulations, which includes U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (Green Card holders), or protected individuals under asylee or refugee status
• 5+ years of mechanical design experience, working directly with aircraft design.
• Minimum 1 year of hands-on experience in structural analysis.
• Strong foundation in mechanical engineering fundamentals; structures, fluid systems, thermal management, and mechanisms.
• Hands-on design engineering experience, with proven application of design-for-manufacturability (DFM) principles.
• Experience analyzing primary and secondary aircraft structures using industry-standard tools and methods.
• Demonstrated ability to perform structural modeling and analysis of mechanical components and assemblies.
• Proficiency in first-order structural analysis and hand calculations, including free body diagrams, statics, and mechanics of materials.
• Experience in SolidWorks, including surfacing, top-down design, and advanced modeling techniques, plus strong knowledge of GD&T principles.
• Experience integrating mechanical designs with electrical systems, including PCBAs, wiring harnesses, and electromechanical components such as servos and sensors.
• Direct application of DFM and designing for additive, traditional, and composite manufacturing methods, including tooling and fixturing for composite assemblies.

Preferred Qualifications

• 7+ years’ of professional mechanical design experience, working directly with aircraft design, and analysis
• 3+ of hands-on experience in structural analysis.
• Hands-on experience with UAV or aerospace flight structures, including knowledge of rotary and fixed-wing platforms.
• Proven ability to develop and execute mission-level simulations or analysis tools using MATLAB, Simulink, or similar environments
• Background supporting the full hardware development lifecycle, including design, prototyping, testing, and production
• Demonstrated skill in correlating analytical results with physical test data and applying findings to improve design performance
• Familiarity with configuration management, version control practices for CAD, and engineering documentation control
• Familiarity with designing injection-molded components or polymer-based additive manufacturing techniques.

Who We Are

At Firestorm, we are building the future of expeditionary defense manufacturing and autonomous systems. Modern conflict has exposed a fundamental problem: the systems needed most by operators are often too expensive, too slow to produce, and too difficult to sustain at scale. Firestorm exists to change that.

We develop mission-adaptable aerial systems and deployable manufacturing infrastructure designed to put capability directly into the hands of the warfighter. From modular unmanned aircraft to xCell — our deployable microfactory — our goal is to make defense systems rapidly deployable, adaptable, and producible at the point of need.

We are looking for builders, operators, and problem-solvers who want to work on meaningful technology with real-world impact.

Work Environment

• Working onsite at our Headquarters in San Diego, CA
• This role requires an on-site presence
• Must be able to lift up to 30 lbs. and wear appropriate PPE [as required]
• Willingness to travel up to 10% domestically for testing and demonstrations
• Ability to work flexible hours and travel to various testing locations as needed
• Ability to withstand environmental conditions (e.g., extreme heat or cold, grass, wind, sand, fumes, odors, gases, extreme noise, etc.)

Compensation

• Base salary: $140,000 - $170,000 base, commensurate with experience
• Equity: Meaningful equity grant in a growth-stage defense technology company

The posted salary range reflects an estimate based on a variety of compensation factors, including but not limited to relevant experience, education, certifications, specialized skills, geographic location, and business needs. Actual compensation may vary, and this range is subject to change as our compensation structure or market conditions evolve.

Benefits & Perks

Our culture fosters collaboration, respect, and trust, empowering passionate people to do their best work. We offer a competitive salary, comprehensive benefits, and opportunities for career growth. In addition to an opportunity to take part in an innovative, collaborative and fast-growing business with a highly motivated and skilled team, we also take pride in taking care of our employees. Here are just a few ways that we show our appreciation:

• We offer comprehensive medical, dental, and visions plans
• 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan to invest in your long-term retirement goals
• Equity grants for new hires
• Unlimited PTO
• Extremely generous company holiday calendar, including holiday hiatuses in July & December.
• Generous Parental Leave 
• Lifestyle Spending Account
• FSA 
• DCFSA
• HSA
• Hospital Indemnity insurance 
• Critical Illness insurance 
• Accident insurance 
• 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.
• 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. 

Export Control Compliance

To conform to U.S. government export control regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR), you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or otherwise eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State or U.S. Department of Commerce.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Firestorm is an equal opportunity employer, committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace, and upholding equitable hiring practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic under federal, state, or local law, including those with a criminal history, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the CA Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. We actively encourage members of recognized minorities, women, Veterans, and those with disabilities to apply, and we work to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all applicants throughout the interview process.

Firestorm is committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible work environment. If you require accommodations or assistance during the application process, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at careers@launchfirestorm.com so we can provide the support you need.