Firestorm Labs
Senior Mechanical Engineer, Aircraft
$140K–$170K
San Diego, United States · On-site · Senior · Full-time · Posted Oct 13, 2026
- Experience
- 5+ years of aircraft mechanical design; minimum 1 year of hands-on structural analysis. Preferred: 7+ years of aircraft mechanical design and analysis and 3+ years of hands-on structural analysis.
- Education
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related discipline.
- Visa sponsorship
- Requires U.S. Person status under 22 CFR § 120.62 due to ITAR regulations. Export-control compliance also allows those otherwise eligible to obtain required U.S. Department of State or Commerce authorizations.
About the job
Designs, analyzes, prototypes, tests, and supports production of UAV aircraft structures and mechanical/electromechanical subsystems.
What you'll do
- Create and validate manufacturable UAV designs using CAD, hand calculations, FEA, and physical testing.
- Collaborate with electrical, flight-test, manufacturing, and technician teams on integration, prototyping, troubleshooting, and production support.
- Maintain engineering drawings and documentation, and contribute to design reviews, DFM, and engineering best practices.
What they ask for
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related discipline.
- 5+ years of mechanical design experience working directly with aircraft design.
- At least 1 year of hands-on structural analysis experience.
- U.S. Person status as defined by 22 CFR § 120.62 is required due to ITAR regulations.
Nice to have
- 7+ years of aircraft mechanical design and analysis experience, and 3+ years of hands-on structural analysis experience.
- UAV or aerospace flight-structure experience; MATLAB, Simulink, or similar tools; or experience across the hardware development lifecycle.
Pay
USD 140,000 - USD 170,000 base salary
Tools
SolidWorks, GD&T, finite element analysis (FEA), MATLAB, Simulink, additive manufacturing, CNC machining, injection molding
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative