Sr. Mechanical Design Engineer - (UAV Research & Development)

Overview

Role Overview

Key Responsibilities

• Structural & Airframe Design: Conceptualize and design primary airframe structures, component layouts, and mechanical subsystems for large-scale UAVs and robotic platforms using advanced 3D CAD software.
• Material Selection & Optimization: Select and design with advanced materials, focusing heavily on carbon fiber composites, aerospace-grade aluminum, and additive manufacturing (3D printing) technologies to maximize structural strength to-weight ratios.
• Mechanism & Payload Integration: Design robust internal mounting structures, rugged environmental enclosures, and deployment mechanisms for critical payloads, sensors, avionics, and power plants (including electric and turbojet propulsion systems).
• Simulation & Analysis (FEA): Perform static, dynamic, and modal Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to validate structural integrity, analyze stress concentrations, and optimize designs against high-vibration and aerodynamic flight loads.
• DFM/DFA Alignment: Apply Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) principles to ensure components can be reliably fabricated via CNC machining, composite molding, or 3D printing.
• Prototyping & Assembly Collaboration: Work directly with the workshop team to fabricate, assemble, and modify mechanical prototypes, resolving tolerance stack ups and physical integration challenges on the fly.
• Field Test Support: Participate in flight test campaigns to evaluate mechanical reliability under real-world conditions, analyzing structural wear, vibration data, and landing impacts to drive iterative design improvements.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Mechatronics, or a highly related technical field.
• Experience: Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in mechanical product design, specifically focused on UAV platforms, aerospace structures, or complex mobile robotic systems.
• UAV Scale Familiarity: Proven track record contributing to defense-industry or heavy-industrial UAV projects, preferably involving fixed-wing or multirotor aircraft above 20kg Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW).
• CAD Expertise: Advanced proficiency in professional 3D CAD suites (e.g., SolidWorks, CATIA, or Siemens NX) with a strong command of complex surface modeling and assembly management.
• CAE Capabilities (preferable): Demonstrated experience utilizing FEA tools (e.g., ANSYS, SolidWorks Simulation, or Altair HyperMesh) for structural, thermal, and vibration analysis.
• Manufacturing Knowledge: Deep understanding of composite manufacturing processes, precision CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, and geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T), DFMEA.
• Environmental Ruggedization: Familiarity with designing for harsh environments, including ingress protection (IP ratings), thermal management, and vibration/shock isolation for sensitive electronics.
• Field & Team Agility: Willingness to support outdoor field testing, troubleshoot mechanical assemblies in real-world environments, and collaborate seamlessly across hardware, software, and systems engineering disciplines.