Skydio · 4 hours ago
Senior Product Design Engineer - Structures Specialist
San Mateo, CA
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level
$145K/yr - $250K/yr
5+ years expSkydio is the leading US drone company specializing in autonomous flight technology. They are seeking a Senior Product Design Engineer - Structures Specialist to architect, analyze, and refine structural solutions for high-performance autonomous flight, ensuring fleet durability and reliability.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)Drone ManagementDronesMachine LearningRobotics
Responsibilities
Play a key role in the design of Skydio aircraft by concepting, designing, and optimizing components with critical structural and mechanical considerations
Conduct a broad range of structural analyses, including linear and nonlinear static stress, modal, vibration, and shock to ensure durability and flight readiness under neutral and operational loads
Develop, mesh, and analyze detailed Finite Element Models (FEMs) of vehicle airframes, subsystems, and payload mounts using industry-standard tools (e.g., NASTRAN, FEMAP, ANSYS, Abaqus, HyperMesh)
Interpret and document analysis results, identify potential failure modes, and recommend design improvements to optimize mass, stiffness, and manufacturability
Design and execute lab experiments to test and validate
Be hands-on: design, instrument, and execute physical tests to validate and correlate FEA models, driving higher confidence in structural performance and design decisions
Design and analyze structures for drones and ground support hardware—such as fuselage frames, gimbals, mounting brackets, and enclosures—using a variety of materials such as plastics, metals, and composites
Select and evaluate materials, manufacturing processes, and joining methods (e.g. fasteners, snaps, adhesives) balancing weight, strength, manufacturability, cost, and environmental factors
Collaborate closely with design, test, manufacturing, and supply chain teams to ensure structural feasibility, reliability, and quality of production hardware
Partner with the Autonomy team to ensure the aircraft design continues to enable industry leading computer vision and obstacle avoidance
Qualification
Required
5+ years of prior product development experience with a proven track record of execution, enthusiasm, and collaboration
Detailed structural analysis (FEA) of complex mechanical systems (preferably aerospace structures) using tools like NASTRAN, FEMAP, ANSYS, Abaqus, or similar
Structural hardware design, material selection (metals, composites), fabrication support, and/or structural testing (static/dynamic) for high-performance applications
Proficiency with at least one major FEA software package (NASTRAN preferred)
Familiarity with CAD software (e.g., SolidWorks, Creo, NX, CATIA) for model review and basic geometry manipulation
Understanding of materials, manufacturing processes, and structural testing methodologies
Hands-on experience in planning, executing, and correlating structural tests (static, vibration, acoustic, shock)
Bachelor's degree or higher in aerospace or mechanical engineering or equivalent with demonstrated academic excellence
Ability to apply analytical problem solving skills and engineering fundamentals to create high-quality designs for a sophisticated vehicle system
A strategic mind across the full design, source, build, validate, and ship process. Proven ability to make considered decisions at various stages
Preferred
Familiarity with stuff that flies highly desirable, but not required
Benefits
Equity in the form of stock options
Comprehensive benefits packages
Relocation assistance
Group health insurance plans
Paid vacation time
Sick leave
Holiday pay
401K savings plan
Company
Skydio
Skydio uses artificial intelligence to create flying drones that are used by consumer, enterprise, and government customers.
501-1000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Skydio has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (34)
2024 (21)
2023 (22)
2022 (12)
2021 (16)
2020 (3)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$740MKey Investors
Linse CapitalAndreessen HorowitzN47
2024-11-15Series E· $170M
2023-02-27Series E· $230M
2021-02-28Series D· $170M
Leadership Team
Adam Bry
Co-founder & CEO
Tom Moss
COO (2018-2020), CEO APAC (2020-2024), Chief Corp Dev (2024~)
Recent News
Accel.
2026-01-06
2025-12-17
Business Wire
2025-12-16
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