Principal Aerospace Engineer

Principal Aerospace Engineer - Fixed-Wing UAS Design and Production

Fort Worth, Texas | On-site

A venture-backed aerospace and defense startup developing advanced unmanned aircraft systems is seeking a Principal Aerospace Engineer to lead fixed-wing aircraft design efforts across development, flight validation, and production readiness activities. Backed by active government programs and early customer engagement, the company is focused on building scalable air vehicle platforms capable of rapid iteration, manufacturability, and operational deployment. This is a principal-level technical leadership role responsible for major air vehicle design decisions spanning conceptual development, aerodynamic configuration, structural integration, and production-aligned engineering execution. The engineer will help guide aircraft architecture from early concepts through prototype and production configurations while balancing performance, manufacturability, structural integrity, and mission requirements. The position is highly hands-on and ideal for someone experienced operating in fast-paced aerospace environments where engineering decisions directly influence flight capability, manufacturability, and long-term platform scalability.

We are an early-stage aerospace and defense company building advanced unmanned aircraft systems for government and commercial applications. The team operates in a highly collaborative engineering environment focused on rapid aircraft development, scalable manufacturing, and mission-driven system performance. Engineers work closely across disciplines to bring production-capable aerospace platforms from concept through testing and operational deployment.

Job Duties

• Lead fixed-wing aircraft design activities including air vehicle configuration, aerodynamic layout, structural integration, and mass properties development
• Own major aircraft trade studies related to payload integration, endurance, range, manufacturability, and overall system performance
• Translate mission requirements into executable aircraft architectures and technical design baselines
• Support conceptual aircraft sizing studies, performance analysis, and configuration down-select activities
• Lead or oversee structural design efforts including material selection, load paths, joint concepts, and primary airframe architecture
• Coordinate with analysis and manufacturing teams to ensure designs support scalable production and assembly efficiency
• Drive design maturity from early prototype configurations through production-ready aircraft systems
• Support engineering release activities, configuration management, and production readiness reviews
• Work closely with manufacturing, avionics, systems engineering, supply chain, and quality teams to resolve design and producibility issues
• Support ground and flight test planning, execution, and post-test design validation activities
• Investigate test findings and implement corrective design improvements based on flight and hardware data
• Mentor junior engineers and provide technical leadership across multidisciplinary engineering teams
• Support future platform definition, proposal efforts, and long-term technical roadmap planning

Qualifications

• 10+ years of aerospace engineering experience with direct fixed-wing aircraft or unmanned aircraft system experience
• Strong background in aircraft configuration development, aerodynamic design, or aerospace structural design
• Experience owning major air vehicle design decisions from concept through prototype and production phases
• Familiarity with manufacturability-driven aerospace design and production-aligned engineering practices
• Experience supporting rapid aerospace development and iterative hardware programs
• Strong first-principles engineering capability and technical decision-making judgment
• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering or related technical discipline
• Ability to travel to test sites, production facilities, and customer locations as needed
• Strong communication and cross-functional technical leadership skills

Preferred Experience

• Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering or related field
• Experience with aluminum or composite aerospace structures
• Familiarity with aircraft loads development, structural validation, or airworthiness processes
• Experience supporting rapid flight test campaigns or operational aerospace programs
• Exposure to design-to-cost initiatives and scalable aerospace manufacturing environments
• Experience supporting missionized aerospace platforms or government-funded development programs

Why Join Us

• Opportunity to help define next-generation unmanned aircraft systems from early development through production
• Principal-level ownership with direct influence on aircraft architecture, performance, and manufacturability
• Exposure to rapid aerospace development, flight testing, and scalable production environments
• Collaborative engineering culture centered around real hardware execution and technical problem solving
• Early-stage environment with significant technical ownership, visibility, and long-term growth opportunity

$160,000 - $195,000