Mechanica Engineer - Composite Structure

As a Senior Mechanical Engineer on Harmattan AI's Airframe team, you will design UAV structural assemblies with a strong emphasis on composite (carbon) structures, alongside injection-moulded and CNC parts. You will take ownership of projects from concept through to production, balancing rigidity, mass, cost, and manufacturability, and drive fast in-house carbon prototyping as carbon structures become central to larger platforms. You will work closely with R&D teams and external manufacturers to ensure seamless integration and manufacturing quality.

Responsibilities

• Design and prototype UAV composite structures and complex subsystems from scratch, ensuring the right balance between durability, efficiency, and performance.
• Own the composite structural design (~40 % of the role): material selection, laminate and ply orientation, monolithic vs sandwich trade-offs, bonded and bolted joints, inserts and hard points for load introduction — from concept through to production.
• Design injection-moulded and CNC parts (~50 % of the role) and their integration with the composite structure, applying design-for-manufacturing rules (wall thickness, draft angles, tolerances) from the first concept.
• Take full ownership of system-level constraints, including thermal management, mass budget (weight), COGS (cost), and environmental sealing (IP ratings).
• Define the tooling and process strategy for composite parts — moulds, layup, vacuum bagging, infusion or prepreg, co-curing — favouring fast in-house carbon prototyping at early stages over heavy tooling, then converging towards series processes.
• Conduct rigorous testing, including stress and failure analysis (laminate strength, delamination, inserts pull-out); develop the necessary tools (test benches, coupon campaigns, calculation sheets, or scripts) to validate designs for operation in extreme environments.
• Work closely with R&D teams (Electrical, Software, and Industrialisation) to ensure seamless mechanical integration of sensors, payloads, and electronics.
• Oversee the manufacturing process by collaborating directly with suppliers and external manufacturers, with a focus on composite fabrication, plastic injection moulding and precision machining, to ensure quality and schedule targets are achieved.
• Maintain the "source of truth" through Confluence and professional 2D/3D documentation, including ply books and cure/process logs. Document all designs, test results, and production workflows to support knowledge sharing and continuous improvement.
• Act as a technical reference on composites: mentor junior engineers, review designs, and help establish the team's composite methods and standards.

Requirements

• Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
• Proven experience designing and prototyping mechanical systems, ideally within UAVs, robotics, or defence applications.
• Solid knowledge of composite materials and carbon structure design: laminate design and ply orientation, anisotropy, knockdown factors, damage / delamination criteria, bonded joints and metallic inserts / hard points for load introduction.
• Hands-on experience with composite fabrication and tooling — layup, vacuum bagging, infusion and/or prepreg, mould design — with a track record of rapid in-house carbon prototyping (speed of iteration over perfect tooling at early stages).
• Proficiency in CAD software (e.g., SolidWorks); experience with structural and thermal analysis tools (FEA) is a strong advantage — laminate / composite analysis capability is a plus.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, including plastic injection moulding, high-precision machining, and series composite processes (infusion, prepreg / OOA, RTM), with the ability to design to a target cost and production rate.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly document complex technical concepts and lead cross-functional discussions.
• Full commitment to Harmattan AI's mission, vision, and growth plans, with a willingness to go the extra mile in pursuit of operational excellence.