Prototype Realization Lead, UAS Programs

Atropos•San Diego, CA

12h•$180,000 - $240,000

About The Position

We’re looking for a Prototype Realization Lead to own the physical realization of our ideas. Someone who can take a sketch, CAD model, or rough concept and bring it to life in a way that looks real, feels real, and tells the story. This role sits at the intersection of craft, engineering, and storytelling. You’ve built things that don’t just function, they convince. Scaled models, prototypes, mockups, one-offs, and flight-like artifacts that help engineers think, leaders decide, and customers believe. If you’ve ever made a prototype that caused people to stop mid-sentence and say “holy sht, that looks real”, you’re probably the right person.

Requirements

Extensive hands-on fabrication experience
Model making, prototyping, special projects, R&D shops, museums, aerospace, automotive, film, or industrial design
Comfort working across materials: composites, plastics, wood, foam, metals, resins, fasteners
A strong sense of realism and proportion
You know how to make something read correctly at a glance
You understand scale, visual weight, and how details influence credibility
Manual and CNC machining, 3D printing, laser cutting, forming, bonding, finishing
Ability to choose the right tool, not just the fanciest one
Early-stage concepts, incomplete drawings, evolving requirements
You ask the right questions and make smart assumptions when answers don’t exist yet
You lead by building, not just directing
Comfortable mentoring junior fabricators or technicians
Organized enough to run a shop, flexible enough to stay creative

Nice To Haves

Experience building scale aerospace, automotive, or defense prototypes
Background in industrial design, model making, or special effects
Experience supporting executive demos, customer briefings, or trade shows
Ability to sketch, mock quickly, or visually communicate ideas before cutting material

Responsibilities

Lead the prototype fabrication shop
Own day-to-day shop operations, tooling, materials, safety, and workflow
Set quality standards for fit, finish, realism, and durability
Scale shop capability as programs evolve (people, tools, processes)
Build high-fidelity scale models, mockups, and functional prototypes
Translate CAD, drawings, and rough ideas into physical artifacts
Make prototypes that clearly communicate intent, proportion, and function; even when they’re not flight-worthy
Apply finishes, textures, paint, weathering, and assembly techniques that sell realism
Understand how lighting, seams, tolerances, and surface treatment affect perception
Know when to trade precision for visual truth and when precision matters
Work alongside engineers, designers, and program leads to iterate fast
Provide fabrication-informed feedback early (what’s buildable, what’s fragile, what’s misleading)
Support design reviews, demos, customer engagements, and internal decision points
Material selection, fabrication approach, assembly, finishing, and transport
Balance speed, fidelity, cost, and purpose depending on the prototype’s role
Document builds so they can be repeated, refined, or scaled

Benefits

Platinum Healthcare Benefits: Atropos offers comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans with 100% employer-paid premiums and little to no cost to you
Basic Life/AD&D and long-term disability insurance 100% covered by Atropos, plus the option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your dependents
Unlimited PTO, with minimum of 15 days enforced
20 weeks of paid Caregiver & Wellness Leave to care for a family member, bond with your baby, or tend to your own medical condition
Family Planning & Parenting Support: Fertility (eg, IVF, preservation), adoption, and gestational carrier coverage with additional benefits and resources to provide support from planning to parenting
Mental Health Resources: We provide free mental health resources 24/7 including therapy, life coaching, and more. Additional work-life services, such as free legal and financial support, available to you as well
Tuition and professional development reimbursement for STEM, MBA, and licenses
In-Office Daily Lunch catered
Company-funded child care stipend
Company-funded commuter benefits available based on your region.
Relocation assistance (depending on role eligibility).
401(k) retirement savings plan - both a traditional and Roth 401(k). 6% employer matching contribution