BS/MS in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field
5+ years of experience in hardware design and product shipping, preferably in drones or aircraft
Hands-on experience with flight vehicles or critical structures like airframes and wings
Strong grasp of aircraft dynamics: weight, structures, aerodynamics, and propulsion
Experience with lightweight materials such as composites and aerospace-grade metals
Familiarity with manufacturing processes including CNC machining and additive manufacturing
Proficient in CAD software, preferably SolidWorks, for 3D design
Responsibilities
Own the mechanical design of drone platforms including airframe and structural components
Make tradeoffs between weight, strength, and flight performance
Integrate propulsion, batteries, and avionics into the airframe
Conduct structural and thermal analysis, using data to refine designs
Prototype and iterate on hardware, supporting flight tests
Analyze failures to drive design improvements
Ensure designs are manufacturable and serviceable
Benefits
Collaborative work environment with cross-functional teams
Opportunity to influence the design and performance of cutting-edge drone technology
Hands-on experience with real hardware and flight testing
Support for professional growth and development
Encouragement to apply even if not meeting every qualification
Full Job Description
About the role
As a Mechanical Engineer on our drone program, you will help figure out how to make our aircraft fly: designing the airframe, structures, and mechanical systems that let our autonomy take to the air. You will be part of the full product design lifecycle, from concept and prototype through flight test and production, and your work will directly shape how our uncrewed aircraft perform. You will design lightweight, durable hardware, build it, fly it, break it, and make it better.
At Applied Intuition, you will:
Own the mechanical design of our drone platforms, including airframe, fuselage, wings or rotor arms, landing gear, and structural components
Make the tradeoffs between weight, strength, aerodynamics, flight time, and payload capacity that determine whether an aircraft flies well
Integrate propulsion, batteries, avionics, and payloads into the airframe, including packaging, mounting, cooling, and cable routing
Perform structural, thermal, and vibration analysis, and use flight and test data to validate and improve the design
Prototype quickly: build, assemble, and iterate on real hardware, and support flight testing and field operations
Analyze failures and crashes, drive root cause, and turn lessons into design improvements
Own the design, analysis, and validation at the component, assembly, and fully integrated aircraft level
Design for manufacturability, repairability, and field serviceability
Work cross-functionally with autonomy, avionics, electrical, software, and flight test teams to make sure designs meet mission requirements
We're looking for someone who has:
BS/MS in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field
5+ years of experience designing hardware and shipping products, ideally for drones, UAS, or aircraft
Hands-on experience designing flight vehicles or flight-critical structures, such as airframes, wings, fuselages, rotor arms, or landing gear
Strong understanding of what makes an aircraft fly: weight, structures, aerodynamic loads, stability, and propulsion integration
Experience designing lightweight structures, including composites, carbon fiber, and aerospace-grade metals
Experience with design for manufacturing across methods such as CNC machining, composite layup, sheet metal, and additive manufacturing
Proficiency in CAD, SolidWorks preferred, for 3D design and modification
Hands-on prototyping and fabrication skills, and comfort building and testing real aircraft
Nice to have:
Ability to support flight test and field operations, including setting up devices under test, running test scripts from test engineers, and writing clear documentation for test, maintenance, safety, and team processes
Experience designing, drawing, and prototyping custom cable harnesses
Demonstrated experience in FEA/CAE (structural, thermal, vibration, and shock)
Don't meet every single requirement? If you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.
About Applied Intuition
Applied Intuition is a software company that provides a simulation platform for autonomous vehicles. The platform allows developers to test and validate their autonomous vehicle software in a virtual environment before deploying it on real vehicles. Applied Intuition was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.
