Mechanical Engineer – Drone Development, Design & Test

HavocAI • San Diego, CA

5d • $150,000 - $180,000

About The Position

HavocAI is seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer to lead the technical maturation of Locust, our advanced unmanned aircraft system (UAS), as it transitions from a demonstrated prototype to a Department of Defense (DoD) fieldable, Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) platform. This is a hands-on engineering leadership role where you'll drive airframe design for manufacture, structural analysis, and system-level integration while providing the program leadership necessary to keep the production effort on schedule and within budget. You will serve as the primary technical authority for Locust's production readiness, working closely with manufacturing partners, government customers, and cross-functional engineering teams. Success in this role means delivering a robust, mission-ready aircraft that can withstand the demands of operational use while being reliably manufactured at production scale. We are looking for an engineer who is equally comfortable designing parts in CAD, working with vendors and machinists, assembling prototypes, and getting into the field or test environment to understand why something failed. This is not a purely analytical or desk-based engineering position. The ideal candidate has experience developing drones, UAVs, robotics, autonomous systems, or other lightweight electromechanical platforms and enjoys moving quickly between design and hardware.

Requirements

• BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related discipline
• 3+ years of mechanical product development experience
• Strong 3D CAD and mechanical design experience
• Demonstrated experience taking hardware from concept through prototype and testing
• Hands-on experience assembling, modifying, troubleshooting, and testing electromechanical systems
• Strong understanding of mechanical design fundamentals including materials, fasteners, tolerancing, structures, and manufacturing processes
• Experience designing parts for CNC machining, sheet metal, composites, additive manufacturing, or similar fabrication processes
• Experience developing test fixtures and executing mechanical validation testing
• Ability to independently troubleshoot hardware failures and drive design changes

Nice To Haves

• Direct experience designing or developing UAVs, drones, UAS, aircraft, robotics, or autonomous vehicles
• Experience with small or Group 1–3 unmanned aircraft
• Experience with airframes, propulsion integration, payload integration, landing systems, or flight-control hardware
• Experience with composite structures
• Experience transitioning prototype designs into low-rate or production manufacturing

Responsibilities

• Design mechanical components, assemblies, structures, enclosures, mounts, and mechanisms for unmanned aerial systems
• Develop concepts and detailed designs using 3D CAD
• Own mechanical designs from initial requirements through prototype, test, iteration, and production release
• Build and assemble prototype vehicles and subsystems
• Work directly with machine shops, fabrication vendors, and suppliers to rapidly produce prototype hardware
• Develop engineering drawings, tolerances, interfaces, and manufacturing documentation
• Perform engineering calculations including structural, load, thermal, vibration, tolerance, and basic mechanical analysis
• Design lightweight structures while balancing strength, stiffness, manufacturability, cost, and weight
• Develop and execute mechanical test plans
• Conduct structural, vibration, environmental, durability, and system-level testing
• Diagnose mechanical failures and rapidly implement design improvements
• Support flight testing and vehicle-level integration
• Work closely with electrical, embedded, autonomy, controls, manufacturing, and test engineers
• Design for manufacturability, assembly, serviceability, and field repair
• Participate directly in vehicle builds, troubleshooting, test campaigns, and engineering validation

Benefits

• 100% Employer paid Health, Dental and Vision Insurance for you and your families
• Life Insurance (Employer Paid)
• Ability to participate in the companies 401k program (Matching)
• Unlimited PTO policy with an enforced 2 week minimum
• Equity Package
• Work / Home Office Stipend
• Global Entry
• 16 Week Paid Parental Leave
• Monthly Health and Wellness Stipend

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior