Senior Mechanical Engineer – Aerospace Structures

Job Description

Some engineers build aircraft...

Others make them unstoppable.

This team sits firmly in the second camp - designing the structural backbone of next-generation UAVs built for speed, resilience, and real-world performance.

We’re looking for a Senior Aerospace Structural Engineer who’s taken designs from concept to flight - someone who knows every gram saved is a story of trade-offs, equations, and ingenuity.

Here, you’ll lead the design and analysis of composite, metallic, and additive-manufactured structures, balancing lightweight design with durability and certification demands. You’ll own the full lifecycle - simulation, testing, validation, and production - and collaborate closely with aerodynamicists, propulsion specialists, and flight test engineers to bring advanced UAV systems to life.

If you love turning elegant theory into aircraft that can take a hit and keep flying, this is the kind of work that will get you out of bed in the morning.

What you’ll do

Lead design and FEA analysis for advanced airframe structures

Apply topology optimisation for lightweight, certifiable designs

Define and oversee structural testing campaigns

Collaborate across multidisciplinary teams to ensure structural integrity through concept, build, and flight test

Mentor junior engineers and shape the direction of future UAV platforms

What you’ll bring

10+ years in structural design and analysis across composite, metallic or additive-manufactured components

Proficiency with FEA tools such as ANSYS, Abaqus, Nastran, or HyperMesh

Deep understanding of lightweighting, fatigue, and airworthiness standards

Strong problem-solving instincts and a bias for getting things built

Australian citizenship (required for Defence projects)

Why join

Because here, you’re not just signing off on drawings - you’re shaping the aircraft itself.

You’ll get :

Real ownership of your designs, end to end

A stake in the company through ESOP (they’re privately funded and moving fast)

Rapid prototyping, flight testing, and the satisfaction of seeing your work take to the sky

Career growth in a team that’s scaling quickly and values engineering excellence over bureaucracy

Reach out to Thaís on thais@theonset.com.au to find out more.