Senior Staff Airframe Design Engineer

About the role

Firestorm is seeking a highly skilled Senior Staff Airframe Design Engineer to join our innovative engineering team in developing next-generation UAV systems. As a Senior Staff Airframe Design Engineer at Firestorm, you will be responsible for the design and build efforts of critical flight structures and mechanisms within our product line. You will be given ownership for the hardware product lifecycle of the airframe. You will be responsible for the design, analysis, and oversight of manufacturing and validation of primary structure. In this role, you will play a pivotal role in developing mechanical components and subsystems that satisfy demanding criteria for performance, manufacturability, and cost.

Responsibilities

• Lead mechanical design efforts for key UAV subsystems across the entire product lifecycle: concept, prototyping, testing, production, and field support.
• Develop innovative, manufacturable airframe designs optimized for UAV flight performance under varying operational conditions, ensuring structural, dynamic, thermal and functional requirements are met through rigorous analysis and validation.
• 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.
• Lead the structural mechanical design of aircraft primary and secondary structures in the airframe, from initial concept through production.
• Develop and champion innovative structural solutions to optimize weight, cost, and performance.
• Develop structural requirements, specifications, and test plans (DVP&R).
• Analyze initial aerostructure designs against preliminary mass properties targets and strength and stiffness requirements.
• Proactively investigate and resolve complex structural issues that arise during development and providing robust design solutions.
• 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.
• Own 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.
• Cultivate a high-performing design culture by mentoring junior and mid-level engineers, leading technical design reviews, and formalizing company-wide standards for airframe architecture.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 7+ years of mechanical design experience, working directly with aircraft design.
• Proven track record of taking complex mechanical assemblies from concept to production.
• 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.
• 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.
• Demonstrated technical leadership, with a proven track record of mentoring junior and mid-level engineers, conducting rigorous design reviews, and elevating the technical standards of a growing engineering organization.

Qualifications

• U.S. Person (citizen or permanent resident) and able to work on-site in San Diego.