Mechanical Engineer (New Graduate)

About Poseidon AerospacePoseidon Aerospace builds and operates unmanned planes for commercial logistics and defense missions. Our two full-size fixed-wing platforms - Heron, a seaplane, and Egret, a STOL aircraft - can carry two tons of payload over a thousand nautical miles. We are headquartered in San Francisco with satellite offices in Washington, DC and Maine.As a Mechanical Engineer at Poseidon Aerospace, you will design the structural and mechanical systems that make our composite aircraft functional and manufacturable. You will work across CAD design, mechanism development, and finite element analysis to create reliable, lightweight structures suited for flight and marine environments. This role is both analytical and hands-on, involving close collaboration with manufacturing, aerodynamics, and test teams to bring designs from concept to flight hardware.ResponsibilitiesDesign and develop aircraft structures, mechanisms, and tooling using CAD softwarePerform FEA to validate strength, stiffness, and load paths in composite and metallic componentsCreate detailed part/assembly drawings and documentation for manufacturing and inspectionDesign linkages, control surface mechanisms, and mounting systems for aircraft subsystemsCollaborate with manufacturing engineers to ensure designs are practical, cost-effective, and easy to assembleSupport testing and validation of structural and mechanical systems, including fixture and rig designMaintain CAD libraries, revision control, and configuration management for aircraft assembliesProvide design feedback to improve manufacturability, maintainability, and structural efficiencyIdeal QualificationsDegree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related fieldProficiency with CAD software such as Fusion,, SolidWorks, CATIA, or NXStrong understanding of structural design, stress analysis, and mechanical systemsExperience with FEA tools such as ANSYS, Fusion Simulation, Nastran, or similarAbility to apply GD&T and mechanical tolerancing to production drawingsFamiliarity with composite and metallic fabrication methodsUnderstanding of fundamentals of flight mechanics and aircraft dynamicsComfortable working hands-on with prototypes, test articles, and shop toolsCapable of managing projects independently in a fast-paced, startup environmentNice To HaveExperience with bonded composite structures or hybrid assembliesBackground in actuation systems, linkages, or motion mechanismsKnowledge of vibration, fatigue, or modal analysisHands-on experience with machining, additive manufacturing, or assembly toolingFamiliarity with design for manufacturing (DFM) and design for assembly (DFA)Proficiency in MATLAB or Python for analysis and process automationExposure to aerospace certification or flight test environmentsEven if you don’t meet every qualification, we encourage you to apply. At Poseidon Aerospace, we value engineers who take ownership, learn quickly, and deliver practical solutions that make aircraft real.