Product Design Engineer (all Levels)

Skydio · Defense · San Mateo, CA +1 · R&D

Skydio is seeking a Product Design Engineer to design, develop, and refine mechanical systems for autonomous drones. This role involves collaborating with electrical engineers, managing vendor relationships, conducting engineering tests, and driving designs from prototyping to mass production. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in mechanical engineering, CAD proficiency, and experience with various manufacturing processes.

What you'd actually do

  1. Design mechanical parts and assemblies for our aircraft, ground stations, and other key accessories from the ground-up as part of new architectures.
  2. Collaborate closely with electrical engineers to shape and integrate custom PCBAs, flex circuits, antennas, and cable harnesses.
  3. Interface with and own technical activity at vendors in partnership with operations and supply chain teams.
  4. Define and execute engineering tests and utilize analysis to evaluate system trade-offs and prove your design.
  5. Drive designs throughout the development cycle from prototyping to pre-production and into mass production. Support our internal manufacturing and factory teams with assembly processes, quality and inspection criteria, etc.

Skills

Required

  • Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or equivalent
  • Mastery of 3D CAD
  • Experience with CATIA strongly preferred
  • Design for manufacturing processes (injection molding, metal casting, and CNC machining required)
  • Ability to prototype quickly and efficiently
  • Ability to produce well-constructed, thorough mechanical part and assembly drawings

Nice to have

  • sheet metal forming
  • composites
  • FAA Part 107 certification

What the JD emphasized

  • proven track record of execution
  • demonstrated academic excellence
  • analytical problem solving skills
  • high-quality designs
  • sophisticated electromechanical system
  • complex assemblies
  • broad array of manufacturing processes
  • fast-paced environment
  • well-constructed, thorough mechanical part and assembly drawings
  • elegant mechanical design
  • strategic mind
  • full design, source, build, validate, and ship process
  • considered decisions