Senior Engineer, Furnishings & Equipment

About Otto Aerospace
Otto Aerospace is building the next generation of business aircraft. Flight tests of our technology demonstrator validate dramatic reduction in fuel burn and allow a sizeable improvement in cabin comfort. Leveraging a combination of laminar flow aerodynamics and carbon-fiber materials, Otto Aerospace is designing world-class aircraft that take advantage of first principles physics and deliver ground-breaking performance.

About the Role 

Otto Aerospace is seeking a dynamic senior designer to contribute to the design, development, and integration of the cockpit and cabin interiors. You will join a team developing the world’s most efficient aircraft. Otto Aerospace is seeking first principles designers that balance creativity with experience while working within an effective team atmosphere.

What You’ll Do

• Vendor & Program Coordination
  • Lead technical coordination with interior suppliers for cabin, seating, and selected equipment from concept through certification and delivery.
  • Serve as the primary technical point of contact for interior vendors, ensuring alignment with program requirements, schedules, and certification objectives.
  • Coordinate with cross-functional teams (structures, electrical, ECS, certification, manufacturing, and supply chain) to define and validate all mechanical and electrical interfaces.
• Interface Definition & Integration
  • Develop and maintain Zonal Reference Models (ZRM), Interface Control Models (ICM), and Interface Control Drawings (ICD) to clearly define interfaces with adjacent structures and systems.
  • Coordinate design and integration activities with furnishings, seating, and equipment suppliers to ensure robust system integration within the airframe.
  • Perform tolerance stack-up analyses at component, assembly, and installation levels.
• Interior Design & Technical Ownership (ATA 25)
  • Design, develop, and detail cockpit and cabin furnishings, equipment, and components in compliance with technical, performance, and regulatory requirements.
  • Perform trade studies to optimize fit, form, function, weight, cost, and manufacturability.
  • Design composite, machined, and sheet metal components.
• 3D CAD & Digital Definition
  • Act as the primary CAD technical expert for cabin interiors.
  • Create and manage experimental and production-level digital product definitions, including parts, assemblies, and installations, fully defining dimensions, materials, processes, and tolerances.
  • Develop detailed system layouts and airframe integration studies using CATIA 3DEXPERIENCE (3DX).
• Certification & Compliance Support
  • Support the creation, review, and update of certification, safety, and quality documentation, including FTA, PSSA, SFHA, ACP, and related compliance artifacts.
  • Ensure interior designs meet applicable Part 23 and ATA 25 regulatory and safety requirements.
• Innovation, R&D & Technology Development
  • Collaborate with the Industrial Design team to assess feasibility of high-level concepts prior to transfer to supplier engineering teams.
  • Identify, source, and coordinate the development of new technologies supporting cabin interiors (e.g., mechanisms, lighting, switches, sensors, materials).
  • Participate in the definition and build-up of internal mockups to validate concepts and populate an internal innovation database.
  • Actively contribute to technology scouting and benchmarking to ensure cabin concepts reflect future market expectations.
• User Experience & Stakeholder Collaboration
  • Support cabin user experience and human factors studies.
  • Work with pilots and human-factors specialists on crew and passenger interface layout and usability.
  • Collaborate with marketing and sales teams to meet customer experience and branding targets.
  • Coordinate with maintenance and operations teams to ensure reliability, accessibility, and maintainability targets are met.
• Leadership & Mentorship
  • Provide technical oversight and mentorship to junior engineers and designers.
  • Promote best practices in CATIA modeling, interface control, certification awareness, and supplier coordination.
• Other duties as assigned

Who You Are

Education

• B.S., in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent.

Experience

• Strong knowledge of interior furnishings and equipment common in modern Part 23 / Part 25 business aircraft.
• 7+ years of industry experience or in a closely related field.
• Experience with fabrication methods of metallic and composite components and systems.
• Experience with ASME Y14.100 Drawings and Y14.5 GD&T.
• Experience with model and drawing checking, engineering part and model release, and engineering change process.
• Experience in composite and metallic rapid prototyping (additive manufacturing) for both experimental and production applications.
• Minimum of 1,000 hours utilizing CATIA V5, V6, or 3DX (3DX preferred).
• Familiarity of FAR Part 23 certification requirements and processes pertinent to cockpit and cabin systems.
• Strong knowledge of industry standards and hands-on experience.

Interpersonal Skills

• Active Listening: Practice to gain insight and truly understand all project stakeholders.
• Critical Thinking: Make prompt, informed and value-based decisions for the project.
• Organization: Focus on agenda, schedules, frameworks, and methodologies, as well as communicating tasks, updates, progress, and blockers.
• Problem Solving: Assess issues from different vantage points and formulate the best solution in addressing specific challenges.
• Self-Motivation: Exude the highest level of commitment and motivation to see it through from start to finish.
• Teamwork and Team Building: Establish a collaborative culture where people with unique personalities and skills happily work together and accountable to shared goal.
• Strong Business Communication: Use the right language, tone and storytelling techniques when communicating, describing, or explaining issues over email, chat, reports, presentations and other forms and channels of communication.

Where You’ll Be  

**This role is remote at first with 25% travel to our headquarters in Ft Worth, TX, then will be onsite at our new manufacturing site in Jacksonville, FL upon facility readiness

Benefits 

Otto Aerospace provides a robust benefits package that includes competitive salaries, subsidized medical, dental, and vision coverage, 401(k) opportunities, paid short-term disability, voluntary long-term disability and additional term life, with 15 paid days off, 13-14 paid holidays, and paid sick leave. Depending on seniority and role, some roles qualify for potential bonuses and stock options.

Otto Aerospace is an Equal Opportunity Employer  

We are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in every aspect of our hiring process. All applicants will be considered for employment regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or disability. We believe that a diverse team brings fresh perspectives, innovative ideas, and greater success. The more inclusive we are, the stronger we become. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. 

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