Composites Engineer

About Poseidon Aerospace:

Poseidon Aerospace is reimagining how the world moves goods. We build and operate full-size autonomous cargo aircraft - capable of carrying two tons of payload over a thousand nautical miles. From remote communities to contested logistics operations, our platforms unlock a new cost curve for air freight, making it faster, cheaper, and accessible anywhere it's needed. Headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area with locations in Washington DC, Oregon, and Maine; we're building something consequential.

As a Composites Engineer with Poseidon Aerospace you will bridge design and fabrication for advanced aerospace structures. This hands-on position focuses on developing and supporting composite manufacturing processes, tooling, and assembly methods used to produce prototype and production airframe components. The ideal candidate possesses strong problem solving and project management skills and combines engineering fundamentals with practical, shop-floor experience. They are equally comfortable in CAD and on the production floor, supporting technicians, solving problems, and refining build methods in real time.

Responsibilities:

• Design, fabricate and procure tooling, molds, jigs, and fixtures required for fabrication and assembly.

• Develop and document manufacturing processes for composite airframe components, including layup, bonding, curing, trimming, drilling, and assembly.

• Collaborate closely with design engineering to ensure manufacturability, structural integrity, and production efficiency of composite parts and assemblies.

• Work directly with technicians on the floor to support prototype builds, troubleshoot issues, and optimize build quality and efficiency.

• Define material handling, kitting, and cure cycle parameters to ensure process consistency and compliance with specifications.

• Support prototype builds and transition new designs to production, troubleshooting issues on the shop floor.

• Develop detailed work instructions, travelers, and manufacturing documentation.

• Analyze process capability and identify opportunities for cost reduction, yield improvement, and defect prevention.

• Support non-conformance investigations and implement corrective/preventive actions.

• Interface with suppliers on composite materials, tooling, and equipment.

• Provide training, mentoring and technical guidance to production technicians on new processes or tooling.

• Maintain accurate BOM information for all airframe components and subsystems.

• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives, lean manufacturing efforts, and digital manufacturing integration.

Ideal Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Manufacturing, or Materials Engineering or equivalent technical experience.

• 2–5 years of hands-on composite fabrication or manufacturing engineering experience in aerospace or related industries.

• Strong working knowledge of composite materials (carbon fiber, fiberglass, epoxy systems) and associated processes (hand layup, resin infusion, RTM, bonding).

• Demonstrated experience supporting technicians and shop-floor operations.

• Ability to design and develop tooling and fixtures using CAD software

• Comfortable working with hand tools, measuring equipment, and basic shop machinery when developing or validating processes.

• Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail in a fast-paced, prototype-oriented environment.

• Strong understanding of GD&T and the ability to apply proper tolerancing to tooling designs and composite fabrication drawings.

Nice to Have:

• Familiarity with PLM/MES/ERP systems to help track product lifecycle management and manufacturing processes.

• Experience planning and enforcing project management timelines for complex, multifaceted projects.

• Experience establishing/maintaining revision control and change management processes.

• Knowledge of lean manufacturing principles, 5S and process optimization methods.

• Experience with CAM tools for fabricating tooling or integrating with manufacturing process documentation.

• Regulatory Awareness: Familiarity with FAA or DoD requirements for composite structures.

What you get from us

• Competitive salary and meaningful early-stage equity

• Relocation support if applicable

• Employee Health Benefit Plans

• 6% Retirement matching

• Flexible PTO

• Free lunches, snacks, and a stocked fridge at our offices

• AI tools and subscriptions