FlightWave Aero

FlightWave, based in Santa Monica, California, is an aerospace company that designs, builds, and flies unmanned aircraft to help non-profits, private companies, and government agencies leverage advanced UAS technology. Our mission is to empower environmentally sustainable, low cost, long range, and long endurance aerial data collection. We strive to design and build flight systems that allow anyone to collect valuable data easily & efficiently.

We’re a small but extremely talented group with an unusually wide range of skills in a fast-paced, agile environment. Our standards are embarrassingly high: we aim to produce the best flying products in the world. If the many challenges of making crazy new stuff fly excite you, we want you on our team.  

We are actively recruiting for the following positions but welcome talented, motivated applicants for any role.

SENIOR ELECTRICAL ENGINEER / BOARD DESIGNER

Department:            Engineering

Location:                   Santa Monica, CA

Type:                          Full-time, salaried

Citizenship:              U.S. Citizen or Green Card holder

Description:

In this role you will be responsible for designing, prototyping, fabricating, testing, and integrating a range of electrical systems into flight hardware and ground control systems from circuit design & tuning to board layout. As part of a small team you’ll be responsible for identifying challenges, setting schedules & goals, and executing in a fast-paced, startup environment. Applications are numerous, including (but not limited to) power / battery management, motor / power train, communication systems, small-scale computing platforms, and imaging systems.

Requirements:

• B.S. or higher (M.S. or Ph.D. preferred) in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or a closely-related field

• Minimum five years of relevant industry experience with preference to small team / startup environments

• Proven time management, organizational, and oral & written communication skills

• Prior experience designing, building, and troubleshooting printed circuit boards

• Prior experience with Altium (or similar) software for board design and hardware testing procedures

• Preferred experience with power electronics for battery charging, motor, voltage regulation, and other power management

• Preferred experience in manned and / or unmanned flight systems

SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER / EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

Department:            Engineering

Location:                   Santa Monica, CA

Type:                          Full-time, salaried

Citizenship:              U.S. Citizen or Green Card holder

Description:

In this role you will be responsible for developing and maintaining software for flight and ground control systems, including control systems and specifically hardware-software interfaces (firmware). As part of a small team you’ll be responsible for identifying challenges, setting schedules & goals, and executing in a fast-paced, startup environment. Applications are numerous, including (but not limited to) guidance, navigation, and control (GNC), communication systems, embedded computing platforms, and imaging systems. 

Requirements:

• B.S. or higher (M.S. or Ph.D. preferred) in computer science, computer engineering, or a closely-related field

• Minimum five years of relevant industry experience with preference to small team / startup environments

• Proven time management, organizational, and oral & written communication skills

• Prior, demonstrated experience with hardware-software interfaces in complex systems

• Prior experience with version control systems (Git) and general software development tools & best practices

• Prior experience with Linux systems

• Prior experience with Python programming

• Preferred experience with the Pixhawk ecosystem including PX4 software development

• Preferred experience in manned and / or unmanned flight systems

SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER / USER INTERFACES

Department:            Engineering

Location:                   Santa Monica, CA

Type:                          Full-time, salaried

Citizenship:              U.S. Citizen or Green Card holder

Description:

In this role you will be responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining user interface software, including touchscreen interfaces and multiple operating systems in Android and Linux environments. As part of a small team you’ll be responsible for identifying challenges, setting schedules & goals, and executing in a fast-paced, startup environment. 

Requirements:

• B.S. or higher (M.S. or Ph.D. preferred) in computer science, computer engineering, or a closely-related field

• Minimum five years of relevant industry experience with preference to small team / startup environments

• Proven time management, organizational, and oral & written communication skills

• Prior, demonstrated experience with GUI, touchscreen, and user-interface software architectures

• Prior experience with version control systems (Git) and general software development tools & best practices

• Prior experience with Linux and Android systems

• Prior experience with Python and C++ programming

• Preferred experience in manned and / or unmanned flight systems

SENIOR MECHANICAL ENGINEER

Department:            Engineering

Location:                   Santa Monica, CA

Type:                          Full-time, salaried

Citizenship:              U.S. Citizen or Green Card holder

Description:

In this role you will be responsible for mechanical design and analysis, including design for manufacture and fabrication techniques surrounding plastics, composite, and metallic components. Responsibilities extend to system-level design, integration, testing, and prototype building tasks. As part of a small team you’ll be responsible for identifying challenges, setting schedules & goals, and executing in a fast-paced, startup environment. 

Requirements:

• B.S. or higher (M.S. or Ph.D. preferred) in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a closely-related field

• Minimum five years of relevant industry experience with preference to small team / startup environments

• Proven time management, organizational, and oral & written communication skills

• Prior, demonstrated experience with CAD software (SolidWorks preferred)

• Prior experience with 3D printing, injection molding, machining, and composite design & manufacturing techniques

• Prior experience working hands-on with hardware required

• Prior experience with finite element analysis preferred

ASSEMBLY / QA TECHNICIAN

Department:              Fabrication

Location:                     Santa Monica, CA

Type:                            Hourly + benefits

Citizenship:                U.S. Citizen or Green Card holder

Description:

In this role you will be responsible for a wide range of tasks, including fabrication of vehicle and ground station components, assembly of complex systems, quality assurance (QA), testing, and debugging. Role may be extended to inventory tracking and supply chain management, shipping & receiving, and other tasks surrounding the entire fabrication / QA process. As part of a small team you’ll be responsible for identifying challenges, setting schedules & goals, and executing in a fast-paced, startup environment. 

Requirements:

• Minimum five years of experience in assembly of complex mechanical / electrical systems with preference to small team / startup environments

• Prior, demonstrated experience with bonded (composite) structures 

• Prior experience with 3D printing, injection molding, machining, and composite design & manufacturing techniques

• Prior experience with soldering and printed circuit board fabrication preferred

• Prior experience with integrated electronic systems (assembly and testing) preferred

• Proven time management & organizational skills, including the ability to work independently, required 

If you are interested and qualified for one of the positions listed, we'd like to hear from you! Please submit your resume or CV and we'll be in touch shortly.