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Principal Aircraft Design Engineer

Arlington, VA, Mountain View, CA, San Diego, CA

About Us

We’re a combat-tested group of engineers, operators, and entrepreneurs who believe America’s edge depends on autonomous airpower that’s trusted and deployable today not in 2040. Backed by tier-one investors, we’ve secured the runway - financial, regulatory, and literal - to move at startup speed while tackling a national-security mission that matters. We’ve structured the company for radical ownership: no silos, no “systems integrator” overhead, just tightly knit mission-focused IPTs that live and breathe the hardware and code they ship.

If you thrive where hard-tech ambition meets national-security urgency, you’ll build faster here than anywhere else. Let’s get after it.

 

Culture That Ships

  • Strong Core Values, Startup Execution. Integrity, Service Before Self, Excellence, Honor, Courage, Commitment—powered by a bias for action and a “figure it out” mindset.
  • Self-Starters Only. You’ll have clear objectives, a blank sheet of paper, and the trust (plus capital) to move fast. Bureaucracy stays out of your way.
  • One Team, No Tourists. Whether you’re tuning a control law at 2 a.m. or heat-treating a Ti-6Al-4V spar, everyone sweats the details. We celebrate wins together and own failures together.

 

What’s In It for You

  • Mission With a Pulse. Every line of code, bracket, or test you deliver expands the toolbox of the warfighter on Day 1 of a conflict.
  • Resources Without Red Tape. VC speed + DoD customer pull: access to test ranges, flight hours, and operator feedback while retaining startup agility.
  • Career-Defining Upside. Significant equity, best-in-class benefits, and the chance to see your product deliver in months, not decades.

 

What You’ll Do

  • Lead the technical execution of new air vehicle systems design, fabrication, test and productization of unmanned aerial systems
  • Lead the long term functional engineering team development roadmap to ensure we have the skillsets, capabilities and workflows to enable successful execution of current and future programs
  • Own the technical success and meet deliverable timelines in all phases of development
  • Establish a center of excellence in air vehicle design that includes a library of standards, allowables, and tool sets to build upon.
  • Find, hire, manage, and mentor the team of internal and external subject matter experts, and communicate that vision to them
  • Partner closely with the business lines in areas of proposal capture, customer interface, resource planning, capital expenditures and program schedules
  • Partner closely with additional stakeholder disciplines that are not under you direct organizational leadership; these include but are not limited to manufacturing, supply chain, energetics, mission systems integrations, GNC, Flight test and evaluation
  • Manage the detailed design of the system and subsystems including requirements development, sub-system trades and optimization, risk management to ensure the appropriate consideration of design key performance parameters, schedule, costs and risks
  • Own the overall model/drawing/documentation package required for initial build and effective production transition
  • Work with senior leadership to ensure resource plans are adequate

 

What You'll Bring

  • Deep understanding and previous systems leadership of unmanned aerial weapon systems in major defense acquisitions programs (i.e. Group 5 UAS)
  • Early previous baseline experience in any of the following disciplines you will be managing
  • 10+ years of real experience in a senior role leading air vehicle programs from initial concept through test and delivery to customers
  • Experience in mission engineering driving vehicle and systems design
  • Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical or Software engineering, or equivalent experience in a relevant field.
  • Experience in building teams from 0 to 1, and leading teams in fast-paced programs
  • Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Top Secret security clearance

 

Bonus Points

  • Experience in start-up, or equivalent fast paced culture
  • Experience in end-to-end aircraft development, from design through certification

 

Why You’ll Love Working Here (Compensation and Benefits)

Base Salary: $180,000 to 250,000 USD

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Atropos's total compensation package. Additionally, Atropos offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including:

  • Platinum Healthcare Benefits: Atropos offers comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans with 100% employer-paid premiums and little to no cost to you
  • Basic Life/AD&D and long-term disability insurance 100% covered by Atropos, plus the option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your dependents
  • Unlimited PTO, with minimum of 15 days enforced
  • 20 weeks of paid Caregiver & Wellness Leave to care for a family member, bond with your baby, or tend to your own medical condition
  • Family Planning & Parenting Support: Fertility (eg, IVF, preservation), adoption, and gestational carrier coverage with additional benefits and resources to provide support from planning to parenting
  • Mental Health Resources: We provide free mental health resources 24/7 including therapy, life coaching, and more. Additional work-life services, such as free legal and financial support, available to you as well
  • Tuition and professional development reimbursement for STEM, MBA, and licenses
  • Daily Lunch catered 
  • Company-funded child care stipend 
  • Company-funded commuter benefits available based on your region.
  • Relocation assistance (depending on role eligibility).
  • 401(k) retirement savings plan - both a traditional and Roth 401(k). 6% employer matching contribution

The recruiter assigned to this role can share more information about the specific compensation and benefit details associated with this role during the hiring process.

Atropos is an equal-opportunity employer committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. The Atropos team is made up of incredibly talented and unique individuals. All qualified applicants will be treated with respect and receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, uniform service, Veteran status, age, or any other protected characteristic per federal, state, or local law, including those with a criminal history, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws. We actively encourage members of recognized minorities, women, Veterans, and those with disabilities to apply, and we work to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all applicants throughout the interview process. If you are someone who is interested in disrupting the way the Department of Defense buys and operates unmanned weapon systems, please apply!

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