About the role
Swarm Aero is redefining air power, building the largest swarming UAV and the most versatile swarming aircraft network in the world. The company is moving quickly to launch the first aircraft designed specifically for swarming, as well as the Command & Control software to mobilize swarms of thousands of heterogeneous autonomous assets and empower human operators to achieve superhuman results.
The team has created and exited multiple startups, negotiated defense deals worth billions of dollars, and designed and built 30+ novel aircraft, with aerospace experience from Scaled Composites, Airbus, Archer Aviation, Blue Origin, and Boom Supersonic.
About the Role
We're building real aircraft structure today, and we're scaling the shop that builds it. The processes exist. Making them better is the job.
We're not looking for someone who just follows a layup schedule. We're looking for someone who reads one, sees the three things that could be done better, and proves it on the table. You'll work shoulder to shoulder with engineering on real aircraft hardware, and the best ideas about how we build tend to come off the floor first.
What You'll Do
- Lay up, bag, cure, trim, and finish composite aircraft structure to a quality bar that doesn't move
- Close the gap between what a process says and what the part actually does, and bring engineering the fix rather than just the problem
- Take the hard ones: complex geometry, tight tolerance, large bonded assemblies, and the builds where the established approach isn't working
- Prototype and prove out new techniques, tooling concepts, and process improvements, then help turn the ones that work into how we build
- Support material and process qualification with engineering: fabricate test articles, run trials, and capture results well enough that they mean something
- Help us scale: train incoming technicians, sharpen work instructions, and drive repeatability from first articles to rate
- Foster a manufacturing culture built around curiosity, rigor, and continuous improvement
What You Bring
- 5+ years of deep, hands-on composites experience, with colleagues who come to you when something doesn't behave the way it should
- You think in terms of resin systems, cure cycles, fiber architecture, and void content, not just layup sequences
- As comfortable discussing the chemistry behind a prepreg system as you are running an autoclave or troubleshooting a bonded joint
- Proven ability to take ownership of undefined problems and turn them into documented, repeatable solutions
- Thrive in ambiguous, fast-moving environments where structure is built, not given
- Experience with material characterization, mechanical testing, or process development in an R&D or advanced manufacturing setting is a strong plus
ITAR requirement
To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.
Swarm Aero is an equal opportunity employer. We value diverse backgrounds and experiences and make employment decisions without regard to race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, or disability.
What We Offer
- Meaningful equity in a high-growth defense technology company
- Competitive base salary commensurate with experience
- Medical, dental, vision, and 401k
- PTO and paid sick leave
- Monthly wellness stipend
- Daily catered lunch (office)
- Paid parental leave
- Direct impact on a critical national security mission
- A world-class team of engineers and operators solving genuinely hard problems